AUGUST 10, 2006

Hold your horses!

Following the discussions between the FIA and the GPMA about engines at the start of the week, the FIA Formula 1 Race Director Charlie Whiting has issued orders that teams must hand over engines to be homologated for 2007 after either the Japanese or Brazilian Grands Prix, depending on whether or not teams are using the engine for the first or second time. This will stop teams building special super-advanced engines for the final race of the race and not caring whether they blow up or not.

This is all well and good but there are a couple of problems that have yet to be addressed. While Mosley and the GPMA did agree on some basic ideas, the details need to be sorted out and the GPMA is yet to confirm that its members are happy with with what was discussed by Burkhard Goeschel on Monday. The manufacturers had a telephone conference on Wednesday but we have not heard any solid news about whether there was a consensus. In addition no-one seems to be taking into account the views of the independent teams which will not gain anything from the engine freeze as the manufacturers never did manage to agree to an engine supply arrangement at reduced cost. With the current Concorde Agreement lasting until the end of 2007 all the signatories have to agree to a change in 2007 and there is no real reason why the smaller teams would want to do that.

The FIA could, of course, just go ahead and try to bully the small teams out of the way but that would not really be in keeping with Max Mosley's stated desire to look after the little guys.