FIA prepared to act to slow Ferrari

The most controversial element of the proposal, which was sent in a dossier to all 11 team bosses today, is the idea of handicapping successful teams with a weight penalty in order to prevent a repeat of Ferrari's dominance this year.

Under the new proposal, a driver will receive a kilogram of extra ballast for every championship point he scores.

"There is widespread agreement that we need to do something," said FIA president, Max Mosley. "There is no doubt that handicapping runs counter to the traditions if Formula 1, but sometimes you find yourself in a position where you can keep your traditions but no one cares because they are not watching."

Across the globe F1 viewing figures have slumped this year as Michael Schumacher and Ferrari have swept all before them. Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone says he's not trying to punish Ferrari for its success, but needs to act in the best interest of the sport.

"If Michael runs away with things in the first two or three races next year, we have to be prepared to do something to protect the sport," he said. "We are not trying to penalise anyone, we are just trying to bring closer racing to Formula 1."

Other proposals included in the dossier are:
Qualifying changed to four 30-minute sessions held over Friday and Saturday, with aggregate times deciding grid positions
Aerodynamics to be fixed at the start of the season and only one changed allowed per season
Testing to be severely restricted

Get this week's AUTOSPORT magazine for complete analysis of what the proposals could mean for F1.