He was also non-committal about whether the differences would likely lead to more overtaking and a better on-track spectacle – one of the key items on the FIA's agenda for change for the near future.

“We're going to have to wait and see,” the 85-year-old stressed. “The thing that is going to affect it most of all is not the change of tyres from grooved to slicks and not even the aerodynamics in my opinion – it's going to be the extent to which KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems) is employed and developed successfully by the various teams.

“If one team gets it right it could be an enormous advantage, and for the ones who get it wrong it'll be an enormous disadvantage. It's all so new that we're not going to know until next year the effect that it's actually had.

“I'm still expecting to see Ferrari, Renault, McLaren and BMW at the front and the rest somewhere behind, though, simply by virtue of the fact that they've got the money and they've got the expertise and they've got the facilities to develop new cars to new regulations quicker and better than their rivals.”

by Russell Atkins

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