News from the Paddock - Italian GP

Formula One team principals met at the Hilton Hotel, London airport on Wednesday of last week to discuss various matters concerning the sport. These included technical, business and sporting matters. Also present were FIA promotions vice-president Bernie Ecclestone and FIA president Max Mosley. Although no communiqué has since been issued, it is understood that the meeting was a success in many ways, that many views were aired and that there were several highly charged exchanges.

"There's quite a level of unrest over a range of issues." said McLaren's Ron Dennis of the meeting, while Mosley, more diplomatically, said: "The majority of teams were very constructive throughout the meeting. We should have more meetings like this." There had been suggestions that team bosses would call for Mosley's resignation as it was alleged that they were unhappy with the way he runs the sport and that he had too much influence in too many decisions regarding Formula One. However, Mosley met the challenge from Frank Williams, Ron Dennis and Eddie Jordan head on, dissipating the threat. Anyway, Mosley is elected by the 153 FIA delegates who represent 123 countries.

There were three main topics of conversation at the meeting. The one that most concerns spectator is the level of entertainment at a Grand Prix on a Friday. There are just two Formula One practice sessions on Friday currently and if teams have visited a circuit for pre-race testing, then they have very little work to do. The initial consensus of opinion was that Fridays should be scrapped, but this was without consultation to circuit owners etc. Later, it was suggested that the addition of two sets of tyres - which could not be used later in the weekend - might liven up Fridays. Such an idea would have to go through the Formula One Commission to the World Council prior to any decision, as would all matters discussed.

The issue of Formula One electronics was also discussed. Teams currently find the FIA's legislation complicated and ambiguous. They want either a more precise ruling, or electronics to be freed up altogether. Mosley, however, is wary of driver aids devaluing the Drivers championship, to the effect that spectator credibility disappears.

The third issue contains team dissatisfaction regarding the sale of Formula One commercial rights by the FIA to SLEC Holdings, Ecclestone's company, in a 100 year deal, and the way that the teams are treated with regard to commercial matters. They are apparently unhappy with the way they are treated, and are not happy with the current TV deal. This, of course, is governed by the Concorde Agreement, and it is unlikely that any further comment will be forthcoming on this matter. However, manufacturers and teams are attempting to buy into SLEC for their own interest.

Ferrari has asked the FIA for a clarification on what it calls torque steer differentials. They were interested in using such a system by which a driver can alter the settings of the differential while the car is in motion, which increases its cornering capability. The FIA has said that such systems are not allowed and Ferrari suggests that someone who has been using such a system will now have to cease to do so.

FIA vice-president Bernie Ecclestone has had a tilt at both Mika Hakkinen and his McLaren team boss Ron Dennis by suggesting that the reigning World Champion is boring, but that's just what Dennis wants. Ecclestone was quoted as saying in a Belgian newspaper that 'Mika Hakkinen has no charisma and no one knows he's World Champion. You can't create personality. He is cold and enclosed and exactly the type of persona Dennis appreciates. He would rather have sheep than anybody with their own ideas. Dennis is known to be a control freak and it is his management - which he leads, even though he admits that racing takes up very little of his time - who make the decisions in the team. On several occasions, they have made the wrong decisions in difficult circumstances and thrown races.' Dennis, however, countered these remarks by saying 'if you knew Mika as a man, there is nothing further from the truth than what Bernie's feeling is.'

Donington Park, which hosted the European Grand Prix in 1993, is planning a major redevelopment which could put it in line to run the British Grand Prix from 2002 onwards. The destiny of the race is one of the major talking points in Britain at the moment, following the poaching of the contract from Silverstone by the then management Brands Hatch, which doesn't have a circuit of a standard capable of holding the race at the moment. Since then, Brands Hatch has been sold to Octagon, a company owned by promotions company Interpublic, and although £25m plans have been drawn up to modernise Brands Hatch, a cheaper option would be to take the race elsewhere to a facility which already exists. These include Donington and Silverstone - but Brands Hatch executive director Ron Bain says: "The race will only move forward into the 21st century if it goes to a state-of-the-art facility."

Donington has agreed to supply that facility, although the agreement is said to expire shortly, even though the redevelopment will go ahead. Brands Hatch is waiting to hear from the British Government whether the plans for redevelopment have been approved. It is said to have reached Prime Minister level. However, it is thought that only the Silverstone option is viable. Building costs already made the Brands Hatch option too expensive while Donington does not strictly have the room to expand sufficiently. Representatives of all three circuits have recently met with Bernie Ecclestone.

Williams's talented development engineer James Robinson is believed to have been poached by Jaguar, and it seems he is to be replaced by Heinz-Harald Frentzen's engineer at Jordan, Sam Michael. The Australian has been linked with several teams recently, including promotion to technical director within Jordan to replace Mike Gascoyne. But Ralf Schumacher has worked with Michael previously and has made strenuous efforts, including financially, to tempt him to the Grove team.

Honda's two teams in 2001 could both have Japanese test drivers. British Formula Three front runner Takuma Sato visited the Belgian Grand Prix as a guest of Honda, just as former Formula One driver Toranosuke Takagi visited the Hungarian Grand Prix with the Japanese giant. Takagi has since won the Formula Nippon championship, while Sato has a chance of winning the British F3 title, after three wins so far this year. Takagi is likely to work with BAR, and Sato with Jordan.

Silverstone could find that it will be running what could be its final Grand Prix in July, even though its provisional date in next year's calendar is for May. The Austrian organisers - a race promoted by Formula One hospitality company Allsport - has offered to swap dates with the British Grand Prix. A May date is better for them, as fewer people are on holiday than in July. This year's British Grand Prix was in April, when heavy rain caused problems for spectators.

McLaren boss Ron Dennis believes that the tyre war between Bridgestone and Michelin which is set to begin next year will make for better racing. "It's inevitable that either Bridgestone or Michelin will have a better tyre for qualifying," he says, "But a better tyre for qualifying is not necessarily better for racing on and the outcome of the race will be somewhat different to the grid." However, that situation may not appear immediately at the start of next season, because Bridgestone obviously have greater experience with grooved tyres. However, Dennis doesn't believe that lap times will increase, as new front wing regulations will offset improved tyre performance.

Alain Prost has twice gone on record recently as saying that he regretted joining forces with Peugeot in 1998. Asked if he had made mistakes, he said: "I've certainly made one - getting together with Peugeot, a company that is very political. I've just had the worst period of my life. They left me alone and I felt alone."