Full Throttle

Max Mosley has chosen the increased exposure created by this weeks USGP at America’s most famous racetrack to offer his ideas on what Formula One should look like in the future. Without being too cynical, my normal modus operendi, one has to wonder if the September start of the A1GP may have entered into Max’s calculations when formulating his list of proposals.

• Independent teams to be permitted to purchase “complete cars, or any part of a car, from another constructor”. This is intended to save smaller teams considerable sums of money in the design and development of their cars and would allow, say, Minardi to purchase complete cars from McLaren.
• A return to manual gearboxes and a total ban on traction control, which would put an added emphasis on driver skill. Gearboxes would be standardised and come from an approved supplier.
• Strict limitations on electronics, with the use of FIA-approved software. This would not only provide the means to police the ban on traction control but also prevent teams from spending millions of dollars on their own electronic programmes.
• Aerodynamic downforce levels to be cut by 90%.
• A single tyre manufacturer to supply the championship, a sensitive issue since the performance of the Bridgestone tyres has particularly handicapped the Ferrari team this season and those teams using Michelin have benefited.

The only problem I see is the 90% reduction in aerodynamic downforce. That’s one hell of a drop, Max must been spending his time watching the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series to come up with that figure.

I’m all for giving the drivers more control. Traction control, yep send it packing, it’s meant for Mama Q. Public to be used on the daily trip to the Pic & Save. The selling and purchase of complete cars, or modules of them, would lessen the expense to smaller teams and provide a revenue source for those that developed the cars.

I mentioned Max may being feeling the A1GP breathing down his neck, this article notes another source Max may cast a leery eye towards.

The FIA hopes the cost-cutting measures will head off the threat of a breakaway championship which has been mooted for 2008 at the end of the current Concorde agreement.

At the pace F1 evolves, - about the same as an ameoba of 10K years ago with todays ameoba - you have to assume Michael won’t be around if and when these ideas take effect. If not somewhere in “Schumie-Land” Michael is recalling all the stellar wet, rain soaked runs he has had when car control is at a premium and will don a fresh pair of Lederhosen and dance a rather spirited version of Schuhplattler while thinking of what might be.

UPDATED:GrandPrix.com has posted an excellent editorial that takes the opposite view of what I have written.