Mosley: Without Change F1 Could Have Collapsed

Formula One could have collapsed in a short time had the FIA not introduced radical changes to the sport, FIA president Max Mosley stated today.

"In the medium to long term, Formula One could have collapsed," Mosley told BBC Radio. "One or two of the independent teams might have stopped, while the bigger [teams] might not have been able to run a third car and they might have stopped as well. If we had left everything as it was, the whole thing could have spiralled."

The FIA announced a set of radical changes this week, among them banning of all electronic aids, pit-to-car telemetry and radio, automatic gearboxes, and more. The changes drew mixed reactions from the constructors, but Mosley now says most support the move.

"One or two teams were against and most of the others had reservations on one point or another," he said. "Ron Dennis said he had so much to say that he didn't want to say anything... but in the end the consensus was that something had to be done."