Mar.23 (GMM) Niki Lauda has described the latest “ill-considered” moves of the FIA a typical attempt to catch the powerful teams offside
The triple world champion, who has also tasted the flavour of the backroom politics firsthand as a Ferrari advisor and latterly Jaguar team boss, said he suspects the saga is a shot amid the sport’s power struggle
The 60-year-old told Sport Bild the row over the scoring system introduction, and the forthcoming voluntary budget cap, is a “typical high-speed” manoeuvre by Max Mosley “in order to pressurise the manufacturers”
“Everything was completely ill-considered,” Lauda added
Ill-considered, Lauda argues, but not necessarily a mistake by the FIA president. Indeed, Mosley and Bernie Ecclestone have separately confirmed that the budget cap proposal is provisional and open to negotiation
Less cunning, however, is the FIA’s handling so far of the rear-diffuser issue, according to Lauda, with possible protests looming over the season opener due to the vague wording of the regulations
“The FIA should have made (the issue) more clear, especially as it (the rear diffuser) is such an important part,” he told the German newspaper Bild
