Dennis Hits Out at 'Naive' Team Bosses

McLaren team principal Ron Dennis on Saturday hit out at "naive" rival team bosses who argued strongly against the recommendation to scrap Friday morning testing sessions next year.

Minardi chief Paul Stoddart was one of the biggest backers of the "Heathrow Agreement", which was instigated this year in a bid to give teams the chance to test at race weekends in return for their testing freedom during the season.

Stoddart said on Friday that that move and the plans to scrap Friday qualifying sessions, both voted in by the Formula One Commission eight days ago, would leave the smaller teams financially worse off in the future.

But Dennis, who is in favour of both proposals, argued: "There seemed to be an incredible naivety amongst some of the team principals who were arguing for testing and refused to listen.

"If it continued, some of the big teams would have adopted it and that would nullify any advantage the smaller teams had as well as escalating costs because the top teams would bring dedicated mechanics, cars and particularly engines."

The plans to use one engine per race next season are already rubber stamped and Dennis believes the continuation of the Friday testing sessions, in which teams could use non-race engines, would negate the cost savings of that idea.

Dennis said the point had been explained in three meetings prior to the Formula One Commission's decision.

"It would effectively turn the one engine formula into a two engine formula again. That defeats the object," he said.

The proposals will be put to the World Motorsport Council when they meet on Wednesday and it is expected that, with the Commission's recommendation, they will easily pass that hurdle.