Mosley Ready to Compromise over Engine Rule

FIA president Max Mosley has said he is ready to compromise over a radical new rule regarding the limit of engines used by a Formula One team over the course of a season.

Mosley said earlier this year he was hoping for the introduction of engines that must run for six races in 2006. The current engines are designed to last for some 400km, and some teams must pay up to $30 million for a one-year supply.

Renault chairman Patrick Faure warned the French company - one of the members of the GPWC company which is aiming to set up a new championship to rival Formula One - could quit the sport if the FIA boss got his way.

"The plan for an engine for six races is the end of Formula One," said Faure back in January. "We will not stay in the Championship with these kind of rules, clearly, none of us. What the communique of the GPWC is also saying is that the way things have been announced is slightly aggressive and I do not think it is a way to behave."

Mosley, however, suggested he could be ready to change the rule if the car manufacturers involved in Formula One are prepared to provide engines to the smaller teams.

"A compromise is always possible if the major constructors are prepared to supply the small teams with engines," Mosley told AFP. "The major constructors need us and we need them, but we need to open talks and so far the only one to respond has been (Renault's) Patrick Faure."

GPWC Holdings, which involves Renault, Ferrari, BMW, DaimlerChrysler and Ford, are planning to set up their rival series by 2008.