BMW Says Chances of Engine Agreement 50-50

Formula One's chances of agreeing a new cost-cutting engine format by an end-of-month deadline are 50-50, BMW motorsport director Mario Theissen said on Sunday.

"I would say the chances are 50 percent and if we don't come to an agreement we won't have any change before 2008, which would be a shame," he told Reuters at the Canadian Grand Prix.

Theissen said the German manufacturer, Williams' engine partners, firmly opposes a proposal by the governing body FIA to reduce capacity to a 2.4 litre V8 format from three litre V10s.

Any change has to be agreed unanimously by the teams, meaning that unless BMW back down the V10 format will stay until the end of 2007 when a commercial agreement expires between the various parties in Formula One.

BMW are pushing instead for long-life V10 engines that must last for several races and any introduction of a V8 engine "would be seen as a serious issue by the board and I cannot really say what the outcome would be," Theissen said.

He stopped short of saying that BMW would pull out of the sport if the format changed.

"In my view the most important thing is to do something immediately," he added. "If we stick to what we have for another three years there is no cost-cutting measure.

"I don't really understand why so many are pushing for a V8. It is in my view more expensive to switch. The small, independent teams have clearly stated that they want to go with a V10," he added.

Theissen suggested International Automobile Federation (FIA) president Max Mosley - behind a raft of proposals to slash costs and open Formula One to new entrants - might have to bang heads together.

"The FIA does not care so much about the engine format but about costs and if the FIA makes (it) clear that we need to cut costs as soon as possible, and that the most effective measure will be to extend engine life, that could help to bring us to a sensible conclusion."

Mosley has told the engine manufacturers they must come up with their own proposals by the end of this month if changes are to be introduced in time for 2006.