FIA thinks calls for simpler F1 rules are unrealistic

Formula 1's governing body, the FIA, thinks it is unrealistic to expect the sport's rules to be made simpler to help boost the show.

There have been a number of complaints in recent weeks that F1's regulations are detracting from the spectacle because they are so restrictive. Red Bull design genius Adrian Newey said that his plan to step back from F1 was fueled by the fact that he had got frustrated by ever tighter rules. Two-time world champion Niki Lauda also suggested recently that F1 needed to end its "nanny-state" approach so drivers could race harder. However, F1 race director Charlie Whiting thinks that although having simpler rules would be a good thing for the sport, achieving it would be almost impossible.

"It is very difficult to get less complicated, because the cars, the teams, the procedures, everything they do, is more complicated," he explained. "They are seeking more and more clarity, which involves more and more words in rules, typically.

"You never sees rule books getting thinner, do you? I would like things to be simpler, but when you look at the complexity of the whole sport it is very difficult to make the rules simple.

"We are being continually asked to make things clearer, but you can't do that with fewer words, unfortunately."

F1's current sporting regulations rule book runs to 55 pages, with its technical regulations being 89 pages long.