Jordan: Give the FIA credit

Speaking in Brazil, Jordan said: "Frank Williams made it very clear in a meeting that by the end of the season he would have 900 horsepower for qualifying. Can people in the stands relate to that kind of engine?

"I think it's right and proper that F1 is not immune to the current economic climate. The changes are necessary for the benefit of everyone in the sport, whether it's teams, journalists or officials."

Jordan denied accusations that the changes, including moving drivers back on the grid, are taking the purism out of the sport and making it too artificial.

"People say the changes will manufacture results, but that's nonsense," he said. "You can argue that qualifying is manufactured because if you spin off in the morning halfway through the untimed session, you can't compete in the rest of it. That's manufactured too.

"There are lots of manufactured rules. Such as seven sets of tyres. Only a few years ago we had ship loads of tyres so that they had enough for any conceivable conditions. Well, thank goodness someone had the foresight to make sure that there were some controls. Nobody has lost on that, in fact the sport has gained.

"We have to give the FIA credit for having the vision to do something because, had they not, we would have all been going down the road to qualifying engines and the development to create them. It helps to ensure that the sport does not become the preserve of the select few."

Williams technical director Patrick Head, however, retorted: "I don't know what Frank said but we have the same specification engine on a Saturday and Sunday. Every now and then we may use a specification for qualifying first, but there's no such thing as a qualifying engine and there never has been."