Monday October 28th, 2002

Former World Champion Damon Hill has criticised the current state of Formula One, saying that the men ruling the sport have put the commercial aspects ahead of the spirit of the sport that made Grand Prix racing so popular.

"The problem with Formula One is not simply regulations; it is to do with power. Not horsepower, but political power," Hill wrote in a column on the Daily Telegraph. "No amount of ballast-adding or grid-shuffling will change the fundamental problem with Formula One, which is that no one is acting as its guardian, by which I mean protecting that "thing" that cannot be owned by anyone - the spirit of sport.

"The sad truth is that Formula One has relinquished its autonomy to outside forces and the billion-dollar golden-egg-laying goose that is television has been sent to the foie gras farm.

"The controlling shares in the television rights are held by German bankers. (Bernie) Ecclestone has kicked the ball out of the ground, and no one is big enough to go and get it back."

Hill's comments come ahead of a key meeting today that could change the face of the sport, with some radical proposals being discussed by the International Automobile Federation (FIA)'s Formula One commission in London. The main proposals include a 'handicap' system of adding a kilo of ballast to a driver's car for every point won.

The ideas are being considered after a season dominated by Michael Schumacher and his Ferrari team, who won 15 of the 17 races. Hill believes one of the main problems in recent years has been that the powers-that-be have helped Ferrari to become a dominant figure and that is now playing against them.

"For too long Ferrari have been given carte blanche to do whatever is necessary to win, in the mistaken belief that the world is so hungry for Ferrari success that this will, in turn, catapult Formula One viewing figures into unimaginable territory," he added. "Well that backfired.

"Why? Because Ferrari showed they no longer care about the millions who watch, by dangling a race under their noses - as they did in the Austrian and US Grands Prix this season - and then taking it away on the last lap. But what is more worrying and telling and shocking is that they can't see what they did wrong. Nor can half the people in Formula One."

Hill, who won the World Championship in 1996 with the Williams team, believes Formula One should return to the old days, when the drivers risked "their lives for whatever their particular motive happened to be - girls, money or adrenalin.

"The only way to make Formula One enjoyable again is for the untouchables to remember that 90 per cent of viewers only want to look forward to a Sunday in front of the television watching highly-paid egomaniacs fighting over a tin cup," Hill said.

"I personally doubt if any of them care if Ferrari or BMW win. I think they are more likely to remember the driver."

Published at 12:04:32 GMT