Technical Working Group Approves Radical Changes

Formula One's Technical Working Group has approved the radical proposals presented by the FIA last week after their second meeting today and traction control and automatic gearboxes will no longer be allowed as of this season's British Grand Prix.

The FIA had said last week, when president Max Mosley announced a radical package of measures to cut costs and liven up racing, that they wanted to ban the so-called 'driver aids' by 2004 - and preferably earlier.

The FIA changed its position on an immediate ban on some other systems, including team-to-car radio communications that were to have been outlawed immediately.

It said the radio would be allowed, provided it was a stand-alone system and could not transmit other data. The communications must also be open and accessible to the governing body and broadcasters.

The FIA said that pit-to-car telemetry, the systems enabling engineers to change settings while a car is out on the track, would go from the start of the season on March 9 while car-to-pit systems would remain until 2004.

At the second of these meetings, independent electronics experts and the teams' own electronics specialists were present, and after discussion of the financial and other effects of the measures announced last week, the FIA said that they intend to implement the changes as follows:

pit to car telemetry - eliminated with immediate effect;

car to pit telemetry - eliminated from 2004 and a standard data logger introduced at the same time (immediate implementation would not save money because the limiting factor is the data acquisition system. This cannot be eliminated from a car in the short term);

radio communication between team and driver to be allowed provided:

(i) the system is stand-alone and cannot transmit other data and

(ii) the communications are open and accessible to the FIA and broadcasters. The possibility of a standard system accessible to the public at a Grand Prix is being explored;

a third car will only be used if a race car is damaged beyond repair. If a race car fails just before the start, any spare car will start from the pitlane, as will a spare car used following a race stoppage in the first two laps;

cars will be held under parc ferme conditions between qualifying and the race, but can be kept in a team's garage under supervision. Any work other than a very restricted list will require special authorisation;

traction control and automatic gearboxes will no longer be allowed from half way through the season - ie from the 2003 British Grand Prix;

launch control will end at the same time provided the teams can all operate their current clutches manually;

following today's meeting the FIA is satisfied that the absence of traction control, launch control and fully automatic gearboxes can be proved using a combination of new technology and extra (FIA) sensors. Software inspection remains available to the FIA as a back-up if needed. It will therefore not be necessary to introduce a standard ECU in 2004.