Car swapping plan to spice up races

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Andrew Feinberg

White House Correspondent

Max Mosley, the president of the sport's world governing body, the FIA, has put forward a proposal that would see each Formula One driver racing once in every car next season. The proposal comes as officials consider ways to prevent any team from dominating in the way Ferrari have this year.

"There is an argument for each driver driving each car once," Mosley said. "This has an advantage because then we would see who are the best drivers and teams. If there are means to make it more interesting for the public, then we have to talk about them."

Mosley's proposal comes in the wake of another controversial recommendation, to introduce a handicapping system by adding ballast to the fastest car. Formula One's commercial chief, Bernie Ecclestone, has proposed that the fastest car would carry an extra kilogram of weight corresponding to its lead in the season's points race.

Ecclestone said his handicap plan was not aimed at Ferrari or Schumacher, but it will not please any of the big budget teams. "It's simply idiotic to say that it's an anti-Ferrari and anti-Schumacher proposal," Ecclestone said. "It's an idea to bring competitiveness to Formula One again. I am thinking about the fans, the people who pay a lot of money to attend a grand prix and who don't want to be in the position of knowing the winner before the start of the race."

Television ratings have slumped for Formula One this year. Ferrari have won 14 of 16 races and Schumacher clinched the title with six races remaining. The Formula One Commission will meet on 28 October to consider various proposals.

Mosley floated the latest proposal in Bahrain, which will debut as a Formula One venue in 2004. "There is a large number of very radical proposals that have been circulated to the teams for discussion," he said.

Under Mosley's car-swapping idea, Schumacher could wind up in a last-place Minardi car, while Japanese driver Sato ­ without a single point this season with Jordan ­ could take the wheel of a Ferrari.