Webber slams F1 'economy run'

With only a few weeks until the start of the new season on Webber's home ground in Melbourne, the Australian has made it clear that he is far from impressed by what he has experienced in recent testing - and said he is worried about longer-term plans for the sport.

"One set of tyres for the race? It's ridiculous. God, it's an economy run. What is this?" he told Australian publication Auto Action . "Some people will work better with it but if you're a real racer, that's not ideal."

He added: "F1 is the pinnacle. It's cutting edge. It's something we've all grown up with - wanting to see the fastest drivers in the world. To detune a car to where a Formula Renault would blow it away, then we may as well pack up.

"I like the V10s, I think they sound fantastic. The V12s even sounded better. A V8? Well, a bit disappointing, but that's the way it is. Everyone's got a V8. You can have one in your road car - it's not such a big deal."

Despite being unhappy with the new rules, Webber made it clear that he backed the need for speed cuts to be introduced in F1 - but believed that the sport's governing body had opted for the wrong areas.

"If there was no regulating going on at all in keeping the engineers in check, the speeds of the cars would be absolutely ridiculous. There are tracks that can't accommodate (F1 cars) if development continues. Monza and Suzuka are on the edge in some places.

"It's a balancing act. You go to China and you can't hit anything. All the tracks that have been built in the last five years are fine."