Team bosses meet over Silverstone situation
Formula 1 team principals made progress when they met at Magny-Cours on Sunday morning to try to resolve a number of outstanding issues that threaten to disrupt the British Grand Prix in a fortnight
On Friday, European Minardi boss Paul Stoddart let it be known that in his opinion traction control and various driver aids were banned as from Silverstone. He said that he would run without them and decide on the day whether to protest any team using them.
Effectively, Stoddart was using the leverage implicit in the need for unanimous agreement to change regulations, in order to force through the fighting fund and cheaper customer engine packages that he believes had been promised to Minardi and Jordan in January.
Stoddart said on Sunday morning: "We agreed this wasn't the right forum to discuss procedure changes for 2004. We did agree we have made quite a few improvements for this year but need to build on that and make more improvements for next year.
"Some proposals were tabled and we need to get everybody to agree unanimously. If that happens over the next few days, then I believe that we can quickly do an amendment to the 2003 regulations and have them in place for Silverstone.
"We have made good progress. Will it come to satisfactory conclusion? Well, I have been hurt before, thinking we have got an agreement only to find out we haven't, so I will reserve judgement. But I am hopeful because it was discussed in detail. It is within the power of the team principals to put all this behind us and everyone has agreed to give up a full day to discuss all the issues: the fighting fund, the engine package and the regulations for the remainder of 2003 and 2004.
"We walked out of the meeting together and through the paddock together. I think Ron [Dennis, McLaren boss] has a slightly better understanding of where I am coming from now and I certainly have a better understanding of where he is coming from. There were no raised voices or punches. But will there be a result? That's the big question. I don't know."
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