Fia To Examine Traction Control Rumours.

Motorsport's governing body is planning to investigate claims that several teams may be using simple versions of outlawed traction control systems, after rumours spread following the European and Malaysian grands prix.


Anonymous speculation first circled the paddock after both Jordans retired from the European GP at the Nurburgring with problems yet to be fully explained. Although different parties have dismissed the retirements as either simple electronic glitches or driver-related, it has been suggested that a 'traction control' system had not been properly deactivated after the cars had been at a standstill. The team's technical director, Mike Gascoyne, was at pains to deny the stories, however.


"I can categorically state that that is not the case," he said, "We have no such system, and the retirements were due to an electrical problem, caused by the wrong settings in the software."


The second rumour followed Michael Schumacher's stunning return to action at the Malaysian GP, when the German set several stunning qualifying laps, and made a storming getaway at the start of the race, despite most of the field describing the circuit as 'slippery'.