McLaren: Tyre Changes Damage Our WC Challenge

The FIA's new instructions on front tyre tread width could see McLaren and Williams losing the World Championship regardless of what the teams choose to do, McLaren managing director Martin Whitmarsh believes.

McLaren's Ron Dennis and Martin Whitmarsh, along with Frank Williams and Patrick Head, met with FIA delegate Charlie Whiting yesterday at McLaren's factory in Woking, Britain's the Guardian reports. The newspaper says the two teams met with Whiting in order to find a solution to the Michelin tyres affair.

Following a complaint from Ferrari, Whiting sent a letter to the teams two weeks ago, warning them that front tyre tread width will be measured after the tyres had been used, effective immediately. Previously, tread width was measured only on new tyres and the Michelin tyres were effectively found to have a wider contact patch when used under certain circumstances.

Williams are currently leading the Constructors' Championship, ahead of Ferrari and McLaren. Moreover, the Drivers' Championship sees Ferrari's Michael Schumacher, Williams's Juan Pablo Montoya and McLaren's Kimi Raikkonen separated by one point each, with three races to go.

"Potentially, this whole affair is throwing the world championship out of the window for both of us," Whitmarsh told the Guardian. "We talked at length to Charlie but there is still a considerable concern about the issue of approving the tyres' conformity at the end of the race, even though Michelin have produced some new rubber which we tested at Monza last week.

"Put simply, we can either use the existing tyres and risk not conforming with these revised rule interpretations or we can use new tyres and still risk being illegal despite a loss of performance," he said. "Michelin has done a great job, but the changes in set-up we have had to make - to toe-in, camber and tyre pressures - have not worked to our advantage."