Mosley baffled by standard ECU dispute

Autosport.com revealed last month that the issue of standard ECUs was now the major bone of contention between the manufacturers and the FIA in their talks to agree a settlement to secure the sport's future.

The manufacturers have held talks with Mosley to try and get him to back down over the standard ECU matter, but he has always remained adamant that the move is right for F1.

Writing in his exclusive column in the May edition of F1 Racing, which is available in the shops next week, Mosley has defended his stance - claiming a standard ECU will not only improve the spectacle but also be better for the manufacturer themselves.

"So why do we insist on a standard ECU?" he said. "Well, there are several reasons. At the most obvious level, the only brain we want in an F1 car is the driver's brain.

"For the past 12 years, therefore, we've been trying to prevent the use of on-board computers that help the driver drive.

"With a road car, however, the more help you give the driver the better. Computers can help him or her avoid accidents and compensate for their deficiencies.

"But F1 is a drivers' championship, a sporting contest; we want the best man to win, driving the car alone and unaided.

"This debate goes back to the early 1990s, and I still have a Christmas card from Ayrton Senna containing a handwritten message saying that we must get rid of electronic aids in F1."

Mosley is unmoved by suggestions from the manufacturers that they can prove cars are not running with driver aids, even with individual ECUs.

He cites the example of a few years ago where the paddock was rife with suggestions that some teams were running traction control, even though the FIA never found anything itself.

He thinks the only way to guarantee teams are not running illegal systems, and end all rumours that they may be, is with the imposition of a standard ECU.

"If a major car company win the F1 world championship, the value of their victory will not be diminished because they used a standard ECU.

"Indeed, it might be enhanced - because no one will be able to claim they won it because of some ultra-sophisticated electronic cheating device."