Cosworth criticise Mosley's energy plan

On the back of moves towards a three-year engine freeze in the sport, FIA president Max Mosley announced on Friday that rules to allow hybrid technology would be introduced as a means of enticing car makers.

But Cosworth's commercial director Bernard Ferguson has said that the technology does not thrill his company - who have earned their reputation as racing car engine constructors.

"I think the principle of the energy storage system doesn't really excite people like Cosworth, because we are not a global car manufacturer, we are just an engine supplier," he said.

"Realistically, from our point of view, it doesn't add much to the racing, and the kind of clients we are dealing with are not motor manufacturers, and therefore I don't know that they or we would have the budget to really compete with that kind of activity.

"I don't think anybody could even give you an estimate of what it might cost."

Ferguson believes the fact that manufacturers will be free to develop their own systems could lead to an escalation of costs - and feels it may be better if there was a standard supplier of the devices.

"All of us going away and developing our own systems doesn't make an awful lot of sense," he said. "Maybe somebody should develop it and we all use it, like a licence.

"If we end up with 12 different solutions to the same problem and everyone has spent a fortune on it, I don't know who that benefits, really.

"I am told it is going to benefit the world, but I would like it narrowed down a little bit more than that."

Despite his doubts about the energy storage systems, Ferguson has said that Cosworth welcomes the move towards engine homologation from 2008 - because it will bring down costs which will make his company's products cheaper for teams.

"The freeze benefits us. I am sure it will," he explained. "Right now the engines are being frozen after this weekend and we have a reasonable product and we are happy with that.

"What I am concerned about it to have a freeze for 2008 for three years and then in 2007 we will have this expediential spending and everyone comes back again. I would like to think that everyone would see the nonsense in that, and introduce it in 2007.

"But you never know because it is a different body that has got to approve it for 2007 to that which has brought it in for 2008.

"My personal view is that it (the freeze) is fine, it is to our advantage and if other people prefer to spend huge amounts of money then they won't like it.

"Frankly I have never understood why people spend so much money on this, because at the end of the day the manufacturers spend a huge amount of money and they move the horsepower up about three percent per year.

"Why do they spend so much money?"