Mosley stands by spec-engine plan

The FIA president's idea for a spec-engine formula was met with concern by the Formula One Teams' Association (FOTA), who fear that it would almost certainly drive manufacturers away from the sport, and would prefer standardised parts in other areas.

But Mosley, who is determined to push through radical cost cuts, insists that the freedom to develop technologies that will filter down into road cars is essential for the future credibility of the sport.

"KERS will be essential on all road-going vehicles in the future, irrespective of their means of primary propulsion," Mosley told Reuters. "The FIA therefore intends to keep KERS as a performance differentiator in Formula One and, indeed, increase its importance in 2011.

"This will give F1 far more relevance and credibility than the use of vastly expensive racing engines, or extremely light and sophisticated gearboxes, both of which are almost entirely irrelevant to modern road transport."

Mosley says he will continue to push for a standard engine in the FIA's meeting with FOTA in Geneva today and is determined that the new regulations will force F1 teams to spend their money in areas that will benefit all forms of motoring.

"To standardise a new technology which is directly relevant to the biggest single problem confronting road transport - energy efficiency - while allowing continued development in wholly irrelevant areas such as Formula One aerodynamics, is not rational," said Mosley.

"Technologies like KERS, as well as the recovery and re-use of exhaust energy and heat, should be the future performance differentiators in F1, not old or useless technologies such as ultra-high-speed engines or F1-specific aerodynamics."