Dennis: Ferrari Influence 'Not Pivotal' in One Engine Rule

McLaren boss Ron Dennis has said that the FIA's decision to introduce a new engine regulation in Formula One in 2004 has not been influenced by rivals Ferrari.

The sport's governing body announced in March that, in the hope of reducing the costs in Grand Prix racing, a driver will only be allowed to use one engine per race weekend, and Williams technical director Patrick Head suggested that the new rules would benefit rivals Ferrari.

World Champions Ferrari run on Bridgestone tyres while rivals Williams and McLaren use Michelin rubber, which during the past season needed to be "scrubbed" in order to optimise their performance, therefore needing more running, which would equal more miles on the only permitted engine.

"If you're Ferrari with tyres that don't need scrubbing, and Michael Schumacher who only needs one lap to get a time out of the car, your best way of doing damage to your two serious competitors is to propose one engine for a weekend," said Head. "It's all politics. We're being manipulated."

However, Dennis has claimed that Ferrari did not have more influence in the FIA's decision that the rest of the Formula One teams.

"I don't think Ferrari played a pivotal role," Dennis said in an interview with Autosprint magazine. "They couldn't do much about it, just like us. It was one of the few times where the constructors and the teams weren't able to force their own wishes.

"Ferrari voted for it because there wasn't any other option. As I said at the meeting in Malaysia, I feel that we should have spent more time, at least five weeks to analyze the problem. The quality of the actions to take would have been better if it came from a deeper analysis.

"To maintain stability and the application of the regulations in F1 is a tough job," he added. "I don't think there's a team that sets the rules. The thing that makes me wary and frustrates me is that, to this day, the F1 governing body doesn't have a completely independent court of appeal.

"If this was guaranteed, we would all feel more relaxed as we would be convinced that the decisions were taken through a sporting, correct, and neutral analysis."