Mosley maps out energy-saving future

FIA president Max Mosley told a news conference at the British Grand Prix that a three-year freeze on engine development would come into force as previously announced from 2008.

"The freeze is done, its in the regulations, no further discussion," he said.

That measure has been opposed by some manufacturers, with reports this week suggesting that Toyota and Honda could pull out in protest.

However Mosley said more manufacturers could be drawn in to the sport if the engine rules were nailed down, with costs substantially reduced and technology of clear benefit to the ordinary road user.

The Briton said the FIA wanted a new 'fuel efficiency engine' for 2011 after the introduction in 2009 of a lightweight system harnessing wasted energy from the brakes to provide extra horsepower in short bursts.

"Saving fuel, saving energy is absolutely fundamental," declared Mosley.

He said the new engine for 2011 would be limited not by capacity, as at present with the 2.4 litre V8 unit, but by the amount of energy consumed.

"For that we would need the major car manufacturers to propose the formula," he added.

"Our only conditions would be that it must be a racing engine as we all understand the term...and the research to improve that racing engine would have to be directly relevant to the research to improve fuel efficiency for road cars.

"Those would be the two conditions that we would set, but how it was done would be completely a matter for the manufacturers," said Mosley.

"Then, instead of spending a fortune to try and get another few horsepower out of a fixed capacity engine which helps nobody and leads nowhere and is completely sterile, they would be doing research which improves fuel efficiency which is directly relevant to road cars."

Mosley said that if the manufacturers failed to come up with an acceptable proposal in the time available, the existing engine freeze could be extended.

"The fuel efficiency engine for 2011 ideally should be done quickly because in that way the manufacturers who have large teams of people doing engine research could keep those teams together," he added.

"We would like to see a proposal quite quickly."

The introduction of the energy storage and recovery device, weighing no more than 20kg, for 2009 would require the drafting of a regulation before the end of the year.

The FIA president again criticised manufacturers for spending 'unsustainable' sums, which he put at between 100 to 200 million euros a year, on engines.

"Once we've got this nonsense, this huge expenditure, stopped I think we may well see at least one new manufacturer coming in," Mosley added.

"At the moment it is difficult for people to justify coming in (to Formula One) when they've got all sorts of problems with the company if they are going to spend the sort of money being spent at the moment."