Jordan MD calls for sense on winter testing furore

Team bosses met on the Thursday before last weekend's Austrian Grand Prix to discuss the introduction of the ban, which will preclude any running from the end of the season until January 1, but they failed to agree.

The ban is being considered in order to give team personnel some respite from the relentless winter development schedule. But Williams team boss Sir Frank Williams caused a stir by clarifying with Max Mosley, president of motorsport's governing body, the FIA, that his team could use either an F3000 chassis or a sportscar to test F1 engines and gearboxes.

Although this would not actually be against the rules, Foster believes that it would be much easier if the testing rules remained as they are allowing teams to run in December.

"I hope that sense will prevail," Foster told this week's Autosport magazine, "and there will be a three-week period at the start of December when we can test. It would be a very sensible approach."

The ban is also designed to reduce costs, but modifying chassis to fit F1 engines and gearboxes will not come cheap. Teams may also feel obliged to use other methods to keep on top of their development programmes, such as seven-post rigs, playing into the hands of teams with greater resources at their disposal.

There is also a worry that the Toyota team, which is due to enter Formula 1 next year, could delay their entry in the 2002 world championship until the November 15 deadline in order to capitalise on the maximum amount of testing time.