Mosley wants swift change

Mosley is due to meet teams at Heathrow in London on Friday to discuss a set of radical proposals aimed at reducing costs in the sport by 2008 at the latest, and perhaps as soon as 2006, and he has made it clear that he is not willing to get engaged in a lengthy discussion.

In a letter sent to the teams regarding the meeting, which autosport.com has seen, Mosley has indicated that he does not want discussions about cost cuts to be lengthy and believes it would be in the best interest of all teams, but especially the independent outfits, if rules were agreed in the short term.

"We believe plans for 2008 can be finalised in a matter of weeks, following which we hope the currently competing teams will give urgent thought to 2006 and 2007," wrote Mosley in the letter. "We trust you will agree that early implementation of cost-saving measures is highly desirable in order to achieve financial stability in the interests of all competitors, but particularly the independent teams."

Mosley's measures for cost cuts have been outlined in the letter and include strict testing limits, standard ECUs, a restricted use of telemetry, standard brakes, extended engine life, rev limits for engines, a major reduction in downforce, a return to slick tyres and the banning of spare cars with grand prix weekends being reduced to two days.

The eagerness with which Mosley wants the changes introduced is because he fears that the sport is heading for a money crisis - and that recent attempts to help reduce costs have not done enough to stem the problem.

"Urgent measures are needed," he added in the letter. "First, we should eliminate expenditure on items which neither interest nor entertain the public. Money spent on technology of which the public is wholly unaware is wasted.

"For example, ever more expensive and sophisticated gearboxes add nothing to the interest or appeal of Formula 1 other than to a tiny group of specialist engineers. The same is true of ultra-light monocoques and their ballast. There are many other examples in current Formula 1 cars.

"Secondly, we must reduce the importance of expensive technologies so that the improvement in performance achievable by spending large sums of money is minimal. Put another way, the curve of performance against expenditure should be as flat as possible.

"For example, although we cannot stop a team using several expensive wind tunnels for 24 hours a day, with clever aerodynamic rules we may be able to ensure that the advantage gained by doing so is minimal when compared to a less well-equipped team."