Ecclestone Wants F1 Race Shortcuts
F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone has proposed introducing shortcuts to grand prix tracks in an attempt to improve the racing spectacle for fans.
The move is the latest of a series of radical proposals by Ecclestone, none of which have been accepted by F1 teams.
Ecclestone stated: ‘I’ve tried to push the teams with a number of proposals. Imagine a shortcut which a driver can use five times every race. It would stop people getting stuck behind others and be good for TV.’
In 2009, Ecclestone persuaded governing body the FIA, of which he is a vice-president, to change the points system so that the driver with most wins would be champion.
That idea was rejected by teams and, despite the FIA initially insisting it would be reintroduced for the 2010 season, quietly dropped last summer.
More recently, Ecclestone was pushing a lottery system to decide the grid, whereby the top 10 drivers in qualifying would draw lots to see where they would start the race.
That has also been rejected in favour of a revised points system.
His proposals are believed to be motivated by a belief that the banning of refuelling this year will have a detrimental effect on the racing by reducing the ability of drivers to change position.
Overtaking is notoriously difficult in F1 and drivers and teams have often used pit stops and strategy to try to pass rivals who are holding them up.
But leading engineers say there is no reason to believe the racing will be worse in 2010 just because refuelling is no longer allowed.
They point out that drivers will still have to stop for new tyres and that strategy will remain, merely in a different form.
Ecclestone, who was talking while attending Ferrari’s traditional pre-season ski event, also repeated his doubts that all the four new teams will make the grid for the first race in Bahrain on 14th March.
Lotus will be joined by US F1, Virgin and Campos and there has been speculation about the state of readiness of all of them.
Ecclestone said: ‘I think they’ll have trouble getting to the first race. We’ll wait and see. It’s only a small problem. Finance. As long as we have 10 solid teams, it’s all we need.’
Campos and US F1, around whom most doubts are swirling, have insisted that they would make the first race.
Ecclestone also confirmed an agreement had been signed to hold a grand prix through the streets of Rome in the coming years, although no date has been set.
