Teams' anger at plans to put the brakes on Ferrari
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Your support makes all the difference.Plans to introduce a handicap system into Formula One have been rejected by the three leading teams' principals.
Bernie Ecclestone, the head of F1, has suggested a weight handicap system to prevent teams such as Ferrari dominating the World Championship as they have done this season. With Ferrari having won all but two races, television ratings have slumped and sponsors are complaining. Audiences in Britain were only 4m for the recent United States Grand Prix, far short of the expected 7m viewers.
Ecclestone and Max Mosley, president of motor sport's governing body the FIA, are behind the changes which were explained in detail to teams yesterday in the run up to this weekend's Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka. But even though the Jordan team owner Eddie Jordan has supported the plans, the team principals at Ferrari, Williams and McLaren reject the idea.
Patrick Head, Williams' technical director, said: "I find the suggestion of adding ballast to anyone's car distasteful. Will Arsenal have to field nine men when they play Chelsea, or Pete Sampras have two strings cut from his racket when he meets Tim Henman? It is just a knee-jerk reaction because Ferrari have been so dominant. But it is up to the other teams to overtake them and that is something we feel we are more than capable of doing."
Martin Whitmarsh, McLaren's managing director, said: "We will not sign up to any handicapping. Ferrari have done a fantastic job and we and Williams have under-performed. It's up to us to put that right."
He added: "I understand the concerns about the lack of close racing at the present time, but this is largely due to Ferrari doing an excellent job. Nobody wants to beat Ferrari simply because their cars carry additional weight."
The Ferrari president Luca Di Montezmolo, whose team would have the most to lose, said: "This proposal is not thinkable because there is a commission that discusses the change in rules and has to decide on changes. It is not fair to penalise the best with this sort of handicap. F1 is not a gymkhana."
Other proposals include altering the qualifying and scoring systems and limits being placed on testing and aerodynamic changes during the season. Paul Stoddart, who runs Minardi, wants F1 to cut costs. Minardi's £30m budget is 12 per cent of Ferrari's estimated £250m funding. He said: "I don't think Formula One can go through another year like it has. It needs to lift its game."
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