LUCA di MONTEZEMELO Interview 4/26 At Bahrain

Sorry but that is incorrect, it's a level playing field. The rules are the same for every team and the requirement to use KERS is the same for every team - it is not mandatory. This year they can use KERS or not as they wish. Some teams use it, some don't, and some use it some of the time but not all the time. As it happens, for the moment those teams that have chosen not to use it are doing better, that's likely to change. Arguably those that have opted to use KERS this year will have an advantage next year because they will have had a season of developing and testing it in race conditions whereas those who aren't using it this year might well be playing catch up.

 

"But we have been surprised to see KERS was just a suggestion, not a real world. And today we are facing a very strange and in my opinion not positive situation. We have three different F1 on the grid – we have F1 competition cars with KERS, F1 competition between cars with no KERS and a different floor, and third competitors with no KERS and no floor. I think this is bad, and it is one of the reasons why unfortunately we are not competitive and we are forced to invest time, and extra money in such a difficult moment, to do a heavy modification to our car."

Interpretation of level playing-field depends on who you ask. We were not part of the discussions Max & Bernie had with the teams, but LdM seems to disagree with your assessment. Inconsistency should be expressed as 'no rules' from the beginning, not learned along the way. Again, look at the big picture and ask why the top 4 teams of the last 5 years suck so horribly at once, while back markers and mobile bollocks are now at the front of the grid. Something was lost in translation...I'm just not certain it was accidental.

 

The "rules" are not given to the teams by word of mouth in discussions with Max and Bernie, they are contained in a document and all the teams have that same document. Why are the top teams from last year doing (relatively) badly? There are several factors but it boils down to teams not making the best choices from the options available to them and not getting the design of what is effectively a completely different car from last year right. In the case of Ferrari and McLaren they were probably putting so much effort into winning last year that they didn't spend enough time on designing and developing this year's car.

The alternative to that straightforward explanation, and what you seem to be suggesting, is that the FIA/Bernie went to the top teams and said "We want to mix things up a bit and give the small teams a chance, so will you please design a slow car for 2009?" And all the top teams said, "Yes, OK." I don't buy that.

 

I also believe that Mclaren Ferrari Renault ect have spent a REAL lot of money on KERS, so much so other parts of the car have been neglected, and with Max's budget caps and limited testing these factors have contributed.

You see IMO Max wants it all ways, IIRC a 30 Mil budget cap is what he wants, yet he also wants the teams to blow Millions developing new tech..

Brawn boxed clever and full marks to him, a head start because of the work done last year with Honda maybe, but whether or not he can keep it that way remains to be seen.

Mclaren are closing in fast IMO.