Symonds supports FIA proposals

The Technical Working Group (TWG), which comprises all 10 Formula 1 teams, has been given two months by the sport's governing body to come up with its own 'satisfactory' package or have the FIA's proposals imposed on it on the grounds of safety.

Under the proposed regulations, drivers will have just two sets of tyres for the whole weekend, aerodynamics will be revised and engines will have to last two race weekends in 2005 while manufacturers prepare 2.4 litre V8 engines ready for introduction in 2006.

Symonds says the package offers a 'good' solution for slowing the cars down and while he admits the proposals go a little further than those of the TWG, he believes the teams will accept them in their current form.

"I don't think we should expect a significant amount of movement," he said. "Certainly, I think most, if not all, teams will be working from the assumption that the package will not be altered from its present form.

"It is fair to say we have accepted that unless changes are made to reduce speeds, we would by next year have reached the point where we would not feel comfortable with safety levels at some venues. We should not be looking to make radical changes at distant intervals, rather smaller changes at smaller, regular intervals, and the TWG has worked with this in mind in recent years.

"I think the changes published on Friday represent a good intermediate position for 2005, which will effectively take us back several years in terms of lap time, before a more fundamental shift in 2006 with the change in engine architecture."

But Symonds doesn't believe the changes will necessarily increase overtaking. "I do not think there is anything in the package that will significantly help overtaking - the downforce reductions will not dramatically improve the racing on track," he said.