A step in the right direction.

The sport's governing body have approved several changes to the rules including the limitation of each driver to the use of a single engine per race weekend from 2004 on, and stewards being given the power to move a driver involved in an incident 10 places back from his qualifying position for the grid at the next event. The 10 place demotion rule will be in place from the u[pcoming Brazilian race on.

"This is a good start,“ Eddie commented. “Anything which makes the 'show' more exciting, whilst containing costs, can only be seen as an advantage for Formula One. Cost-saving by limiting the number of engines is an excellent starting point, and the driver penalties mean stewards can penalise a driver effectively but keep him in the race. All these measures will make Grands Prix better for fans.

“The average Formula One supporter gains little benefit from teams having two engine programmes, one for the race and one for qualifying. It doesn’t make sense to spend large sums of money on an engine that will only complete 80 km in its lifetime, when you could be investing purely in reliable engines that will last for 800km. By curtailing costs as soon as possible, we protect the interests of the sport, keeping it manageable for smaller teams and also for new companies who want to get involved.”