FIA U-turn on tyre rule

FIA president Max Mosley had previously been adamant that the tyre war, currently fought between Bridgestone and Michelin, was one of the principal reasons why the cost of competing in F1 had risen so dramatically. With substantial performance gains possible via tyre development, teams spend more time testing tyres than almost any other component.

Yet when the FIA meets with teams to discuss cost-cutting proposals on 28 January it is anticipated that restricted use of exotic materials will be the principal item on the agenda, with the tyre supply issue no longer a primary concern.

This suggestion has already been met with anger by some teams, with one technical director slamming this U-turn in an interview published in this week's Autosport magazine:

"The tyre war is not only killing F1 competition and stopping the lesser-funded teams from running near the front, but it's by far the single biggest cost saving we could make," the technical director said.

"The tyre war is ten times any other cost. It's no problem to save on these smaller things (like exotic materials) but it's senseless to continue with the tyre war and it's completely against everything else that Max has been preaching."