I am surprised at how little fuss there has been over Max Mosley's plan to have a total freeze on engine development for ten years. Apart from the obvious objection that this rather negates F1's claim to be the pinnacle of racing technology, has no-one noticed that it is in complete contradiction to Mosley's previously-stated aims for the sport?
Max Mosley
In May of this year, Max outlined his blueprint for the future, saying that "he wants to see the regulations changed from the current 2.4 liter V8 format to 2.2 liter turbocharged V6s running on biofuel and developing 100 bhp less than at present." Now it seems that has all been thrown away without even a backward glance and the future is to be the present.
The reason given for this sudden decision to stay in one place is that it will "enable the manufacturers to concentrate on developing systems such as regenerative braking systems". So it is not that Max has been reading my blog and realized that the global warming scare is a load of old hooey; he still wants to see strange energy-saving devices bolted on to the cars.
But this ignores the fact that the present engines are the central focus for any green protest at the guilt of F1 for the warming of the earth. They use fossil fuels and pump out carbon dioxide, for pete's sake. As though Max had forgotten his concept of an enviromentally friendly F1, he wants to keep the gas guzzlers that cause the imaginary problem. And save a little bit of their energy for re-use.
Am I the only one who can see a departure from reason in this? Does no-one else begin to feel that Mosley's marbles are disappearing with increasing rapidity? How long can the sport support a president who changes its direction every few months?
The manufacturers submitted proposals for engine changes that were in line with the vision for the future that had been agreed between themselves and the FIA - but Max said immediately that he would push through the ten year freeze regardless of objections. That alone is good cause for concern regarding Mosley's certainty that only he knows what is right for F1. But is it not more worrying that his engine freeze is in direct opposition to previously declared intentions?
It is as if he does not really care about anything but his own absolute power. No matter how irrational the proposal, if you disagree with him, he will merely over-ride your objections and force it through. It seems that everything has become personal for him, as Jackie Stewart discovered recently.
I am in two minds over the situation. On the one hand, I fear for Max's sanity. But on the other, I have to rejoice that he is revealing the extent of his madness and must soon be removed from his position, thereby allowing more reasonable minds to take over. The only questions that remain are: how long will he be allowed to continue and how much damage will he do to the sport in that time?
Max Mosley
In May of this year, Max outlined his blueprint for the future, saying that "he wants to see the regulations changed from the current 2.4 liter V8 format to 2.2 liter turbocharged V6s running on biofuel and developing 100 bhp less than at present." Now it seems that has all been thrown away without even a backward glance and the future is to be the present.
The reason given for this sudden decision to stay in one place is that it will "enable the manufacturers to concentrate on developing systems such as regenerative braking systems". So it is not that Max has been reading my blog and realized that the global warming scare is a load of old hooey; he still wants to see strange energy-saving devices bolted on to the cars.
But this ignores the fact that the present engines are the central focus for any green protest at the guilt of F1 for the warming of the earth. They use fossil fuels and pump out carbon dioxide, for pete's sake. As though Max had forgotten his concept of an enviromentally friendly F1, he wants to keep the gas guzzlers that cause the imaginary problem. And save a little bit of their energy for re-use.
Am I the only one who can see a departure from reason in this? Does no-one else begin to feel that Mosley's marbles are disappearing with increasing rapidity? How long can the sport support a president who changes its direction every few months?
The manufacturers submitted proposals for engine changes that were in line with the vision for the future that had been agreed between themselves and the FIA - but Max said immediately that he would push through the ten year freeze regardless of objections. That alone is good cause for concern regarding Mosley's certainty that only he knows what is right for F1. But is it not more worrying that his engine freeze is in direct opposition to previously declared intentions?
It is as if he does not really care about anything but his own absolute power. No matter how irrational the proposal, if you disagree with him, he will merely over-ride your objections and force it through. It seems that everything has become personal for him, as Jackie Stewart discovered recently.
I am in two minds over the situation. On the one hand, I fear for Max's sanity. But on the other, I have to rejoice that he is revealing the extent of his madness and must soon be removed from his position, thereby allowing more reasonable minds to take over. The only questions that remain are: how long will he be allowed to continue and how much damage will he do to the sport in that time?