Crunch meeting for F1

Schumacher's domination of the sport is turning off fans

Formula One bosses and team owners are meeting in Monaco on Tuesday to discuss radical proposals that will change the future of the sport.

Max Mosley - president of governing body the FIA - has come up with a set of ideas to improve F1's appeal.

They include a ban on electronic driver aids, smaller engines, a single tyre supplier and manual gearboxes.

But the threat of a breakaway series by some of F1's car manufacturers hangs over the meeting.

Mosley is to use Tuesday's meeting as a platform to attempt to convince the teams of the need for change.

He does not strictly need their approval to introduce the changes for 2008 as F1's constitution, the Concorde Agreement, expires at the end of 2007.

The car manufacturers are realising that it is best to go formula one racing with restrictions rather than not going racing at all Max Mosley FIA president

However, Mosley is keen to introduce the changes as early as 2006, for which he does need the teams on board.

The teams are widely tipped to agree to the general thrust of the new proposals, although there may be disgreements about the specifics.

Mosley central aim is to cut costs by reducing technology, and thereby make it easier for new teams to enter the sport.

Mosley wants to ban expensive electronic gadgets such as traction control and semi-automatic gearboxes while also opening up the option for new teams to buy or borrow cars from existing squads.

But some of the car manufacturers involved in F1 are keen to retain both F1's high-tech image, and its essence as an arena in which leading-edge engineering can be explored.

Mosley said: "In the end the teams and car makers all realise that the costs have got out of control, and that formula one has become a money-spending competition which can't last very long.

To save the future of F1 the manufacturers have to take their own decisions - stop or commit Luca di Montezemolo Ferrari president

"Car manufacturers are not in this business simply to demonstrate the competence of their electronics department. They are realising that it is best to go formula one racing with restrictions rather than not going racing at all."

Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo has said that the time has come for manufacturers involved in F1 to make up their minds about their future plans.

"I think maybe to save the future of F1 everybody has to take their own decisions - stop or commit. I don't see a different solution," he said last week.

"What is for sure is that after the end of 2007 we are free, we have no deal with anybody. After that everybody can do whatever they want."

Among the changes to be discussed on Tuesday are:

• Engines reduced from 3.0-litre V10 to 2.4-litre V8.
• Engines to last for two races each .
• Manual gearboxes and clutches .
• Ban on power steering.
• Front tyre width reduced and rear increased to slow down cars.
• No spare car allowed during entire competition.
• One tyre supplier.
• Drastic restriction on private testing, limited by mileage rather than days.
• New qualifying system to be discussed.
• No tyre changes during races, except for punctures.