Corner speeds, not lap times, are key to changes

Lap times in the two opening Grands Prix of the season fell by as much as four seconds due to the tyre war between Bridgestone and newcomer Michelin, and FIA president Max Mosley has already expressed irritation that new-for-2001 downforce reductions were not enough to counter the increased levels of grip.

The FIA was analysing lap speeds and cornering performance at the opening three races of the season, concluding with this weekend's Brazilian GP, before making a decision, and it says it will step in if it feels tumbling lap times will compromise circuit safety. However, cornering performance and not the fall in lap times per se will be the key to any changes.

Key players in the FIA are set to meet and analyse the accumulated data after Interlagos. If the findings are that falling lap times are due to improved slow corner performance, action is thought to be unlikely. But if speeds have risen significantly in fast corners, where the risk of an accident or driver error is higher, then rule changes are set to be made.

Speaking in Autosport magazine, Mosley said: "We will have collected the data from the first three races and learnt a lot about the new speed profiles."

Should changes be instigated, the FIA will liaise with the teams and the tyre manufacturers to formulate a solution. The most obvious and least complicated (relatively speaking) way to slow the cars is to modify the tyres.

Michelin and Bridgestone are both against the imposition of a fifth longitudinal groove, but one alternative solution is to add lateral grooves to decrease the efficiency of the tyre tread.

At Interlagos, the circuit's fast corners mean high heat build-up in the tyres. This means a harder compound is likely to be used than in Australia or Malaysia, which theoretically should mean a less spectacular fall in lap times.