FEBRUARY 8, 2002
Mosley winds up the interest in F1
Mosley said (mischievously) that the one engine idea would be cheaper for the teams although most team bosses feel that the research and development necessary to make an engine powerful and reliable enough for an entire weekend would be very expensive. The idea is thought to be the first shot in a battle to bring in a restriction on the number of engines per weekend (which has been tried before) but it is unlikely that the teams will agree to the idea.
Mosley also let it be known that the FIA has had several enquiries about the 12th F1 "franchise" which has become available thanks to the disappearance of Prost Grand Prix. Mosley said that anyone wanting to claim the last slot would have to pay a $48m repayable bond to the FIA to guarantee that they would turn up. The bond was introduced some years ago after Honda cancelled plans to have its own F1 team.
Mosley will meet the specialist press tomorrow and it is expected that there will be some rather more subtle stories leaked out during that meeting.