Briatore pleased FOTA was heeded

The FIA is set to defer its plan to award the championship to the driver with most wins after the Formula One Teams' Association questioned the validity of the move, pointing out that the F1 regulations only allow such changes so close to the start of the season if all the teams are in agreement.

FIA president Max Mosley subsequently said the governing body had been told the teams were in favour of the plan.

Briatore said that Bernie Ecclestone had not discussed the 'winners takes all' plan, but was please that the FIA had heeded the teams' concerns.

"What has happened demonstrated that if the teams are together, their voice can count," he was quoted as saying by Gazzetta dello Sport.

"It's not true that the teams had been informed, and in any case with Ecclestone we talked about medals, but we never talked about the criteria approved by the world council."

He added that the teams simply thought the new system was unnecessary, rather than being vehemently against it.

"Why are we against it? Because we don't feel it's interesting, that's all," said Briatore.