SEPTEMBER 13, 2001

Formula 1 team meeting - the details

THE Formula 1 team managers met at Monza at midday on Thursday to discuss the matters of the moment in F1 circles and a number of important decisions were taken. The meeting featured all the team principals except Eddie Jordan (who was represented by the team's Ian Phillips). Toyota's Ove Andersson was also present although there was an attempt early in the meeting to have him excluded because Toyota is not yet entered in the World Championship. This was not successful.

The major issues addressed were the question of testing after the October 15 deadline when the F1 teams have agreed a testing ban will start. Toyota says that it has no plans to stop testing but a compromise was reached and teams will now be allowed to run until November 15, the day on which the entries for next year have to be made. None of the current teams is expected to do any testing in that period but they can do if they choose to do so. It was agreed that in 2002 there would be new testing bans but these will be based on gentlemens agreements and the FIA will no longer be called upon to police the agreement.

It was proposed that there be an arrangement to stop the poaching of key personnel from one team to another but the proposal, put forward by Minardi, was voted down by the other team owners.

It was agreed that in future the F1 cars will no longer be fitted with brake lights. The cars will retain their rain lights but it was agreed that brake lights are irrelevant nowadays.

There was a discussion about whether the cars should still carry numbers and it was agreed that it was pointless as they cannot be seen by spectators. In future the cars will carry a number of the nose of the cars but identification will be do with color-coded camera mountings which are instantly recognizable by teams and spectators alike.

There were discussions about the FIA Court of Appeal but these were postponed.

It was also agreed that from the start of 2003 all drivers will use the HANS (head and neck support system).

The decisions will now go to the Formula One Commission before they get to the World Motor Sport Council at the start of October.

There were, incidentally, no discussions at all about the 2002 calendar.