Mosley excited about overtaking solution
FIA president Max Mosley believes the radical new car design, which the governing body introduced to the Formula One Commission today, will vastly increase overtaking and will offer a better solution to the lack of close racing in the sport today
The F1 Commission, which met today in London to ratify proposals for rule changes in 2006 and beyond, has given initial support to the FIA's idea, and the new design - along with a return to slick tyres - could be introduced in 2007, subject to further input from the technical directors.
"They all want to improve F1," Mosley said after the meeting, "and all the aerodynamicists can see that the idea of the radical car might well be the answer to all the overtaking issue.
"And so there was a lot of enthusiasm for it, as they can see there is a solution rather than 'oh, well, let's change the diffuser' or this or that. Nothing ever works, and now we have something that is full on."
Mosley revealed the primary concern sounded by the team was the fact that, with the new car, the machine in front would actually have a disadvantage compared to the car behind. But the FIA president said this in itself would not necessarily be a bad thing.
"At the moment, the technical people are saying: we have a problem that it will create such a boost to the car behind, that we will create car grouping like in the old slipstream days in the 1960s," Mosley said. "And I am saying: if that is the only problem, then I am not too worried.
"We are talking about more downforce for the car behind than the car in front , and a significant reduction in drag - which was unexpected - and it will therefore mean that in the extreme case, a slower car will be able to stay with a faster car, because it will have an advantage.
"There is no doubt that we go from what is a two-second advantage in order to overtake now, to half a second disadvantage and stay with him and overtake him.
"There will be a debate about whether we want it, but it is a solution to the problem."
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