Cost Cutting Proposal is Too Late, Says Mosley

The proposals to reduce testing and alter the Grand Prix weekend schedule may have come too late for the 2005 season, according to FIA president Max Mosley.

Nine of the ten teams have signed a document stating they support a reduction of testing during the 2005 season to a maximum ten days, as well as a change to the Grand Prix weekend that will see Friday offer four hours of free testing to the teams.

The proposal was not signed by Ferrari, who - along with FIA president Mosley - were not present at yesterday's meeting, when the proposal was signed by the nine teams and F1's commercial rights owner, Bernie Ecclestone.

Ferrari have already made it clear they oppose the fashion in which the agreement had been signed, stating they were not invited to the meeting yesterday, which was initiated by Ecclestone. But the FIA, too, have not been part of the meeting and Mosley, who was present at Interlagos for the final round of the 2004 season, now says the proposals may have come too late for 2005.

"I have been trying to get the team principals to talk seriously about reducing costs for the past three years," Mosley told The Times. "That they are thinking along those lines is a step forward.

"It is a bit too late to implement these measures for next year, but we could [do it] for 2006. The point is that we need to do much more. We are in a situation where teams need 1,000 people to put two cars on the grid and that level of spending is unsustainable."

The Concorde Agreement stipulates that a unanimous agreement is required for rule changes, and without Ferrari's support the proposed changes cannot be introduced.