| 14 Oct 2002
Williams
would be willing to accept weight penalties next season in the
interests of the sport.
Technical director Patrick
Head says he will not vote in favour of the proposal and does
not even like the idea but would "live with it" if
necessary.
Max Mosley and Bernie
Ecclestone, the sport's two most powerful figures, are
proposing the introduction of a one kilo penalty for every
point earned next season.
Head has said he would back a
series of other changes to the framework of each Grand Prix
weekend from 2003. But if he got his way he insisted he would
like to see the sport unchanged and Williams given the chance
to overcome Ferrari
on merit, just as they were beaten by McLaren
and then Ferrari after dominating in 1992.
"We would support
further restrictions on testing and we would support sensible
proposals that would reduce wasteful costs, of which there are
a considerable number in Formula One™," said Head.
"I think our pride is
such that we have view it is up to us to compete with Ferrari.
We were probably as dominant in 1992, we didn't achieve quite
the same level or reliability as they have - but then I don't
think anyone did in those days.
"We were as dominant in
terms of performance but that was overcome. McLaren and then
Ferrari overcame that situation. Our view is that it is up to
us to make sure that we compete with Ferrari, and McLaren have
the same view as well.
"I don't think we want
the gift of ballast to help us to do it. But if the situation
of the interest in Formula One is so serious and its thought
that ballast will put that right we will have to live with it.
But we won't be happy about it and won't vote for it."
Head agreed that there is a
need for change from the start of the season in March next
year. And he supported the proposed change to have qualifying
decided by the aggregate of two sessions on Friday and two on
Saturday.
"Something definitely
needs to be done to make the racing more interesting," he
added. "There has to be some competitive contribution on
Friday that goes towards grid position.
"It is difficult for
anyone to find something interesting to write about race after
race on Friday when the teams are saying you can't tell much
about the lap times.
"It wouldn't be false to
make some part of Friday count towards your grid position.
That would be quite a reasonable thing to do make Friday more
interesting and make it visible who is quick and who is
not."
He also said it would not
result in a dramatic increase in costs. "The direction
things are going in, with one engine per weekend, in the
future there shouldn't be an especially high addition cost by
having a competitive Friday," he stated.
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