Stoddart backs down on traction threat

Minardi boss Paul Stoddart has backed down on the threat to withdraw his agreement to traction control, as the engine manufacturers are promising a solution to cutting costs. Stoddart said prior to the Australian Grand Prix that he would retract his support of traction control as the agreement to provide cheaper engines had not materialized.

The vote to keep the electronics needed the unanimous support of all the teams and Stoddart deciding against that could have caused problems. Now it seems the manufacturers are trying to placate the argumentative Australian again.

"We're going to give the manufacturers some time to come up with some solutions," said Stoddart, according to Autosport. "They say they have got something to tell us that will help ease the situation. It is hard to imagine that we have come this far for them to let us down now. I know this time last year I was an optimist and I got shafted, but let's give them a chance."

A new Concorde Agreement is due to be decided upon in the near future, after negotiations between the Grand Prix World Championship (GPWC) group, Bernie Ecclestone and F1's holding banks. Recent talks between the concerned parties seem to have averted the threat of the breakaway group.

Richard Parry Jones, head of Ford's Premier Performance Division, expects the new agreement will help provide affordable engines. "The redistribution of income provides the opportunity for a more attractively priced engine to private teams," he said.