Tuesday October 19th, 1999

F1 Supremo, Bernie Ecclestone, criticised the FIA's decision to disqualify Ferrari from the Malaysian Grand Prix, tagging it as "nonesense," and called for a loosening of the regulations. "What happened in Malaysia is bad for the sport," said Ecclestone. "I would like what the public want - to see a great finish in Japan."

"I have campaigned for years that the Formula One rules and regulations are too tight," Ecclestone said. "It is bad for the sport. The public want to see a great finish to a great championship. It is a shame if the world championship could be decided by someone quite junior who has made a mistake in the factory."

Ecclestone also added that, "After Michael Schumacher got pole position for Ferrari on Saturday, why did the team not take the illegal parts off and put a legal part on if they were cheating, because that is always when the scrutineering is toughest? But scrutineers did not find anything wrong with the car. They missed the fact at the Nurburgring for three days and they missed it in Malaysia right up to the last minute. That seems odd."

It should be noted, however, that Ecclestone has no real influence on the International Court of Appeals and has not power to reverse the decision and resurrect the Malaysian result.