F1 heading for customer car row

As discussions continue about framing a new Concorde Agreement, Williams has voiced his belief that the original intention to free up the chassis building rules may now not get the support that it needs.

He claims that while he would be happy for teams to be allowed to run year-old cars, he thinks that it would be wrong for manufacturers to be allowed to sell on current versions of their chassis to rival teams.

"There is still no Concorde Agreement and I think Max (Mosley), in the original letter inviting teams to join, wrote that he proposed that teams be free to sell a second car to a supplement team," said Williams.

"I don't know if it has been dropped, or he still supports it, but it is not in any document that the teams have signed. I think you might find that opinion is split on that cast.

"I don't think it is right. I am saying that because while we are not frightened of the manufacturers, they clearly have a lot more resource. And it is a bit too easy a shortcut for someone with a bob or two to take a shortcut and buy a Renault, which is the cream of the crop."

A move to let teams run customer cars next year was rejected at a recent meeting of the Formula One Commission, which scuppered plans by Super Aguri to run this year's RA106 in 2007.

Williams has dropped a hint that even the close co-operation between Red Bull's two F1 teams may now come under scrutiny - with the energy drinks company having brought up the matter in that F1 Commission meeting.

"We are not against teams selling last year's car, absolutely not," said Williams. "And the first big row is going to come up with Red Bull next year."

There has been speculation that Red Bull Racing and Scuderia Toro Rosso may run almost identical chassis next year - one with Ferrari engines and one with Renault engines.

The teams would be able to get around the rules that stipulate teams must build their own cars because of the way that both outfits are owned by a single company.

When asked if he would accept the two Red Bull teams running the same cars, Williams said: "No. It is the same company, but I would like to know where they send the FOM money to. Do they send it to Mr. Mateschitz for team one and team two?"

Williams said he hoped that the FIA would step in to regulate what the two Red Bull teams are allowed to do - especially if they run similar machinery.

"It gets very tricky at that point and it is question of Max operating the rules fairly," he said.