MARCH 20, 2001

Head is against long-term traction control

WILLIAMS technical director Patrick Head has said he is against the long-term introduction of traction control in Formula One and sees it only as a short-term solution to making the sport fair.

Head believes it is the responsibility of the technical working group in Formula One to find a way of policing electronic solutions so that they are not in the sport for a long time.

"It is one of the challenges that the technical working group has to come up with an idea [of how to police it]," said Head.

"I like to see cars power-sliding around," continued the Williams man. "It is my personal view and if there were a means of having the power of the engine totally regulated by the driver's right foot then I would be totally in favor of that."

However, until they achieve a solution, Head is happy the system's introduction at this year's Spanish Grand Prix - in three races time - will stop the accusations and mumblings of illegalities around the grid.

"I am much more in favor of traction control over the field than this continuous innuendo," he said. "This has been going on for a long time, but it was strongly there last year.

"If you firmly believe you are racing against somebody who is very cleverly finding a way to circumvent the regulations, then that is the least satisfactory of the solutions.

"For this year, the solution being proposed is the favored one and the ones that don't favor it may be the ones who have some tricky system. It is not an environment in which one can go motor racing."