World Council Set to Ratify Changes

The FIA's World Motor Sport Council are expected to ratify the Formula One Commission's proposed changes to the sport for the 2004 Formula One season.

The Commission voted earlier this month to make changes to Formula One for next season despite sweeping alterations almost a year ago livening up the spectacle for supporters this season.

"The World Council is likely to accept the Formula One Commission's recommendations," an FIA spokesperson said. "There is unlikely to be any surprises from the meeting."

The Commission voted to abandon the Friday qualifying session and drivers will now be given two one-lap qualifying attempts on the Saturday. The three-day weekend should remain with private testing scrapped and replaced by two hour-long practice sessions. It was agreed that the bottom six teams will be permitted to run a third car in practice.

Saturday's qualifying will take place over an hour-and-a-half, in order to allow drivers to complete two runs, with the initial starting order determined by the previous race result rather than championship position.

The second run of the 20 drivers will then take place in reverse order with the slowest first on track, if approved by the World Motor Sport Council in Paris on Wednesday.

It is also expected that the Canadian Grand Prix will be on the agenda with suggestions that the Montreal race could be run as an 18th event providing the tobacco-backed teams are given compensation for running without sponsor logos.

But a Formula One source said that the compensation money - thought to be around $2 million (USD) each for McLaren, Ferrari, Renault, BAR-Honda and Jordan - is not available putting a doubt over a potential return for the event.

"The Formula One commission would in principle agree to 18 races in the calendar providing there was compensation for the tobacco sponsored teams," the source said. "If there doesn't seem to be that compensation available the calendar is likely to remain as it stands."