Engine men discuss F1 capacity cut

Williams technical director Patrick Head said: "There was a meeting yesterday between engine suppliers and the Technical Working Group, where the thought was aired that reducing the performance of the cars without some attention to engine performance has been continuous. It has been suggested that power is reduced, but the mechanism is best left to engine suppliers."

Head's opposite number at Ferrari, Ross Brawn, added: "I think there is a feeling that it would be nice to moderate engines. When we started with this formula we had 700-750bhp and now we're approaching 900bhp. Stability is there until 2007, when it will be 950-1000bhp.

"It needs to be considered very seriously. For us, the easiest thing is to lop two cylinders off the back and it would seem logical to have 2.4-litres, 8 cylinders. But, some of the engine suppliers have a marketing policy that surrounds a V10 engine. A smaller capacity V10, would be all-new, high-revving and expensive. But it is a fact that smaller engines will reduce performance."

Next year, of course, new one-engine-per-weekend regulations come into force, but Renault's technical director Mike Gascoyne said: "I don't think we'll see large reductions in performance from that and I agree with Ross and Patrick that there is frustration that measures are always aimed at the chassis and should be matched by a sensible change in the engine regs."

McLaren Mercedes MD Martin Whitmarsh commented: "The Concorde Agreement guarantees stability and some are reluctant to accept change. Mercedes have been reluctant so far but in the last discussions they have agreed to reduce capacity."