Ferrari President Backs FIA Changes

Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo has backed Formula One's governing body for forcing through sweeping technical changes to cut costs and liven up racing.

"I think it is right that in F1 there should finally be radical change," he told Italy's Gazzetta dello Sport newspaper at the weekend.

"Everything has been still for too long. Thank goodness for this fresh air, which coincides with the aim of reducing costs. I am a bit sceptical about whether it will really contain spending but it's worth a try."

Montezemolo said the two-way telemetry systems, which allowed teams to tweak a car's settings by remote control during a race and have now been banned along with team to car radio, were a "senseless cost".

"I have always been against automatic starting systems, which turn the driver into a sort of accessory," he added. "And what sense was there in qualifying engines for one lap?"

The Ferrari president's endorsement gave the FIA the backing of the dominant team in the world championship but some others, notably McLaren, were less convinced.

GPWC Holdings, the company set up by the five European carmakers in Formula One to plan their own series from 2008, criticised the FIA in a statement last week and suggested teams might try to resist the measures where possible.

But Montezemolo told the Gazzetta that neither FIAT-owned Ferrari nor the other manufacturers wanted to set up a rival series and were conscious that one era was over for Formula One and another starting.

The Ferrari president said he was in favour of shared components and saw long-life engines as a welcome challenge for a maker of high performance road cars.

But he expressed distaste for an FIA plan to offer a $1 million reward for anyone providing evidence of teams using illegal systems from this season.

"I hate sneaks in life and sport," he said. "I hope that the FIA can reduce the electronics to such a basic level to wipe away any suspicions of possible cheating."