Reflecting on the WMSC decisions on regulation changes for 2009 and beyond, I have to admit that good sense seems to have won over the FIA at last. None of the new rules for the coming season appear to threaten the ethos of F1 and the wilder proposals from Mosley and Ecclestone have been shelved for the time being. It is as much as we could have hoped for.
The teams seem certain that considerable cost savings will result from the new rules and, since they are the ones footing the bill, that is good enough for me. Whether the economies will be as effective as predicted remains to be seen but I think the issue will fade in importance as the year goes on; much of the panic over the downturn has been manufactured for the purposes of the US election and reality will break through now that politics has had its way.
It is a pity that the most pressing problem confronting the sport was not on the agenda, however. The matter of customer cars still hangs over the future of teams like Scuderia Toro Rosso and affects the potential for new entrants to F1. Unless the problems involved in this issue are solved soon, the likelihood is that the number of participants will continue to shrink.
It is a very difficult matter, arguments on both sides being deeply rooted in the vested interests of each team, and compromise will be needed on both sides before a solution can be found. To me, that would indicate that the FIA and FOTA should be discussing the possibilities now, rather than avoiding the issue, as they seem to be doing at the moment. The more time available to thrash out a deal satisfactory to all, the better.
The proposals for 2010 and further into the future do not concern me too much; the coming season will show just how much change is still necessary and we may never see some of the suggestions come into force. It is all far enough away to be put on the shelf with Bernie's medals and Max's standard engine anyway. KERS remains an oddity amongst the many changes forthcoming and I do not understand why the teams are not making a fuss about having to spend money on its development when it looks as though it might end up as a standard component. I can only suppose that, without any firm decision being made on this, the teams are accepting the interim expenditure as a necessary evil.
Looking ahead to the coming season, it seems that the races will be as exciting as ever, with the possibility that the severe limitations on aerodynamics might increase the possibilities for overtaking. A lot has been said about the look of the new generation of cars for the change in technical regulations, most considering that they are ugly, but I think this feeling will dissipate within the first few races. We become accustomed to the appearance of F1 cars and so any change is bound to seem strange at first - but give us time and we adjust to the new look. Hopefully, competition will be even closer than in previous years (and we've had some good ones lately) and we can expect a great season.
For the moment, I am just relieved that the FIA has not done its usual hatchet job on the rules when presented with the need for change. FOTA seems to have had its way on most things and common sense has been the guiding light for once. Whether this is due to clever manipulation by Max Mosley to achieve what he really wanted all along or is a reflection of his need to rehabilitate himself after the scandal of this year is a matter of opinion. No doubt he will claim the credit but the important thing is that the sport has survived and we can keep watching. That has to be good, surely.