FIA to Introduce One Engine Rule in 2004

Formula One's ruling body, the FIA, on Wednesday announced radical plans to reduce the costs in Grand Prix racing, starting in the 2004 season.

From January 2004, each Formula One driver will be allowed to use only one engine for the three days of a Grand Prix weekend. Each time his engine is changed during the event, the driver will move back ten places on the grid.

The FIA said, that in consultation with the Formula One teams, will define an engine change so as to prevent the rebuilding of a unit at the circuit where the Grand Prix is taking place.

The use of the spare car will also be considered as the use of an additional engine.

The sport's governing body also announced that the use of the Head And Neck protection System (HANS) will be mandatory for all Formula One and F3000 drivers starting next season, although provided the FIA get confirmation from each team that no driver is disadvantaged by using the device.

There will be no regulation changes to the chassis in 2003 or 2004, the FIA also said.

After a season that started in Australia this month with a spectacular first corner pile-up that knocked eight of the 22 cars out of the race, stewards had been given new powers to punish offending drivers.

In the statement released on Wednesday, that FIA also announced that the race stewards have been given the power to move a driver involved in an incident ten places back from his qualifying position for the grid at the next event, a rule that will already be introduced at next week's Brazilian Grand Prix.

The second race, in Malaysia last weekend, was also marked by a first-corner incident between Ferrari's World Champion Michael Schumacher and the Williams of Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya.

Montoya was blamed controversially by officials for "causing an avoidable collision" and forced to drive through the pits slowly as a punishment during the race.