Tyre Rule Could Change, Says Ecclestone

Formula One bosses could give the tyre rules a re-tread after heavy rain at the Brazilian Grand Prix raised safety fears and driver protests.

Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone said on Saturday that a new regulation introduced this season limiting teams to just one choice of wet-weather tyre was under scrutiny.

"We're having a look at that," he told Reuters. "This is what happens when you change regulations, it is the side effects you need to look at. And that's what we're getting, the side effects."

The rules have been changed in an effort to liven up the show and cut costs after a year of Ferrari domination and declining television audiences in some countries. Whereas tyre manufacturers were previously able to bring two types of wet weather tyres as well as intermediates to a race, they are now limited to just one kind of wet tyre.

For Brazil, Bridgestone and Michelin have brought an intermediate tyre. That led to chaotic scenes in Friday free practice where teams went out in torrential rain on a slippery track with tyres offering insufficient grip.

"I would like the one wet tyre rule reconsidered because it compromises safety," said Ferrari technical director Ross Brawn afterwards, echoing driver fears. The weather cleared up for Friday's first qualifying after many of the drivers had signed a document stating their unwillingness to take part if conditions were as difficult as they were in practice.

Rain Hope

Ecclestone, who has criticised a new Saturday qualifying format which has become more a question of strategy than speed, had no problem with Friday's session that saw Australian Mark Webber surprisingly set the fastest time in his Jaguar.

"Yesterday's qualifying was no different (to usual), there was no fuel on board. Normally you'd see the quickest car but obviously we didn't," he said.

"The rain always helps doesn't it?," added Ecclestone when asked about the show. "Let's hope it rains today and rains tomorrow."

Team bosses are due to meet Ecclestone and the governing International Automobile Federation (FIA) in London next Friday to assess the impact of the new regulations after the first three races. The major changes introduced this season include the single-lap qualifying format and a ban on teams changing car settings and refuelling between the final Saturday session and Sunday's race.

That has led to drivers qualifying on Saturday with different fuel loads on board. Most agree that something needs to be done.

"I would change qualifying probably," said Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya, who took seven poles last year for Williams and has yet to start on the front row in 2003. "Change the way qualifying is with the fuel and everything."

McLaren's David Coulthard, winner in Australia, agreed with Montoya that qualifying should reward the fastest car. Ferrari's five-times Formula One World Champion Michael Schumacher said he would like teams to be able to work on the cars before the race.

"Now it's less of a challenge," he said. "I preferred the work with the engineers and changing little things on the cars."