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McLaren Criticise Planned Changes for 2005

McLaren boss Martin Whitmarsh has hit out against the proposed regulation chanages for Formula One in 2005 - stating that the team does not support the timing and the number of the changes.

McLaren boss Martin Whitmarsh has hit out against the proposed regulation chanages for Formula One in 2005 - stating that the team does not support the timing and the number of the changes.

The sport's governing body, the FIA, has issued a set of suggested proposals that will be instigated for next season unless the teams' Technical Working Group can come up with a suitable alternative.

The suggestions include aerodynamic changes, the use of engines for two races rather than one and the use of one set of tyres for practice and one for qualifying and the race.

Numerous meetings of the TWG and the team bosses have failed to come up with any better solutions, but Whitmarsh said: "We certainly don't support the process and the timescale of the change but we understand why people want changes.

"We don't agree with the changes that are being proposed. We think there are too many changes being proposed. In the past that has not been good for Formula One and I think it's bad for Formula One."

Whitmarsh criticised the plan to instigate a raft of changes so quickly, just two years after a major regulation change shook up the sport following a season of Ferrari domination in 2002.

A similar situation this year has led to more demands for an improved show with many different suggestions for the qualifying format being proposed as well as a varying range of car design changes being mooted.

But Whitmarsh believes rapid change is costly and dangerous and said: "If you want to control cost in Formula One you have to (bring in) new rules in good time, otherwise you have to respond and it costs more money.

"We are always struggling to improve the show but we can't allow ourselves to create crisis by implementing change too quickly."

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