GPDA to Meet Ahead of Each GP

Australian Mark Webber revealed on Saturday that the Grand Prix Drivers' Association (GPDA) will meet every race weekend from now on following a unanimous agreement to work together to improve the sport.

The drivers met in Monaco on Friday to discuss the way they work with the sport's governing body, the FIA, and the influence they have over the organisation of the sport. Webber said the meeting was constructive and added: "The drivers are going to meet every race from now on. All the board members - Michael [Schumacher], DC [Coulthard], Jarno [Trulli], myself - thought 'let's get together more often and get some more consistency.'

"We are all in the same house really, we have all got the sport at heart, and that's why the drivers want to get together more. It's about helping the sport that we are involved in and when we get together we make pretty good progress.

"At the moment we meet three times a year and it's not enough. We never cover all the agendas, it always takes too long, the drivers always have their opinions, so now we will do it a lot more often."

Drivers have always been involved in the organisation of the sport to varying extents but both sides - the drivers and the FIA - are looking for a strong commitment to a working relationship. Webber's confirmation that the drivers are ready to hold organised meetings will be good news for FIA president Max Mosley, who spoke of the need for their involvement in a media conference.

"In the past we have had drivers on various commissions," said Mosley. "At one moment there were two drivers on the Formula One Commission but after one meeting they stopped coming. Now we have a lot of informal meetings and where the drivers are very active, and our position is, as far as the commission is concerned, as long as they are prepared to attend regularly we would like to have them on."

Webber warned that the moves will have to be made one step at a time, however, and suggested that while a decision to join the Formula One Commission would be good for them it is unlikely to happen soon.

For now, the drivers will meet on the Thursday after the drivers' briefing at every Grand Prix weekend and Webber added: "This is a big step for us because you know what drivers are like with their time.

"(Having a place on the Formula One Commission) is something that might not hurt us but it is such early days, really, really early days. It's not going to do us any harm. We have to be bloody professional.

"We don't go to bed thinking of the GPDA every night, but we have to think about the sport and dovetailing our ideas to make it successful over the long-term with the governing body, so getting closer to those guys is no harm for us."