New rules a mistake, says Mansell

Just days after the F1 Commission gave its support to a switch to knock-out qualifying and for future cars to feature a radical double-wing to improve overtaking, Mansell has insisted that the sport has made a mistake.

"I tell you, it's sad, isn't it," he said. "This new qualifying is up the swanny.

"The thing is the teams which are struggling need as much time on the track as they can to sort themselves out and to get themselves up to speed. They are being penalized because, if they don't qualify quick enough, they are out in the first 15 minutes. And the others get more track time. How fair is that?

"It is a home goal before you start. I'll be shot for saying this, but it's not what the fans want either. I am upset for the teams, I am upset for the fans, and why change something to score another home goal when it wasn't broken before? If you want to cut down on costs then have open practice for everyone. It adds to the excitement."

And although Mansell has admitted that he is not qualified enough to comment on the effectiveness of the new Centreline Downwash Generating (CDG) wing, he believes the sport's chiefs would have been better off getting rid of high-tech driver aids if they wanted to improve overtaking.

"They are all looking at it from the wrong point of view," explained Mansell. "They are blaming the cars for the aero problem.

"With the computer age, when was the last time a computer missed a gear? When was the last time a computer spun the wheel at the wrong time without traction control? Drivers now don't make mistakes unless they make a complete balls up.

"They have also taken some of the corners away like in Japan. The chicane there was great in my day. It penalised you if you missed it - you had to slow down for it. Now you can just drive through it and cause an accident if you want."

He added: "The point being that actually that if you want more overtaking or excitement in F1 then give the driver more input into the cars. Let him change the gear up and down when he wants to. If he screws up then you have got an overtaking opportunity.

"Then take away traction control. If you get a twitch then you get sideways and you slow down and you have an overtaking opportunity.

"What they have done it sterilise it with too many driver aids through no fault of the drivers who don't write the rules. Put the sport back in the hands of the drivers and all of a sudden you don't need all this bullshit."