Mosley calls for new F1 teams next year

Formula One could see new teams as early as next season if Max Mosley has his way.

Mosley’s plans for a cheaper and more exciting Formula One will open the door for the first new entries since Toyota made their debut in 2002.

Leading teams from junior championships such as Formula 3000 and Formula Three are interested in making the step up to grand prix racing if Mosley’s plans get the go-ahead.

Mosley, president of world governing body the FIA, must first convince current teams to agree to various key changes, which include allowing cars and engines to be sold to newcomers.

A major difficulty facing Mosley is how to persuade existing teams to accept new entries who would dilute their share of income from broadcasting rights and sponsorship, and the Englishman is keen to have the issue sorted out soon.

He said: “I would really hope we could see a new team in 2005, 2006 certainly. There is no reason why we shouldn’t if we could get an agreement but they need to know very quickly. We can’t wait much longer.

“The trouble is the existing teams – and one can understand it – want to defend their situation and they don’t want somebody taking some of the money that could otherwise go to them.

“They have to recognise that is unhealthy. If you just keep a cartel of people getting steadily older and you don’t let anybody new in, it is not a particularly healthy situation, particularly in sport.

“At a certain point it probably isn’t even legal, let alone moral, so I think we can persuade them to open up, I hope we can.”

Another obstacle to a new team entering next season – with Formula 3000 front-runners Arden International tipped to be the first – is the $48m (€40m) bond required as a guarantee.

But Mosley insists that fee – which was introduced after a string of embarrassing and ultimately futile entries in the 1990s – can be removed at a stroke.

“The bond is merely a sporting regulation and that could be abolished, at the moment, for 2005,” he said

“It was simply a device to stop endless people putting in frivolous entries. That could be changed tomorrow, it won’t be a problem.”

New teams are likely to face a cash shortage as they attempt to make their name in Formula One and Mosley plans to level the playing field with new technical rules, while he wants testing dramatically reduced as well.

“The testing is something that we need to stop – it is that simple,” he added. “We need to get the testing down to a level where people can do it with the race team and they don’t need a separate test team.

“It is enormously expensive, it costs more than €1,000 per kilometre to test one of those cars – well over – and it is just simply absurd to do that.

“It is a complete waste of time and money.”