Honda exit triggers radical cost cutting

(GMM) In the wake of Honda's decision to quit formula one, the sport is bracing for a new round of radical cost-cutting measures.

As the teams attempt to keep F1 viable but also retain its core principles, the FOTA alliance is understood to have accepted the need for severe measures.

According to the German magazine Sport Bild, one of the most radical proposals to be rubber-stamped in the coming days is a complete ban on private testing.

The recent measure to increase engine life from two to three races could be ramped up to four weekends, while the rev limit is reduced from 19,000 to 18,000 rpm.

Weekly wind tunnel use is slated to drop to just forty hours per team, and the power of super-computers will be capped.

"These changes would save the top teams some 140 million euros in 2009 alone," a FOTA insider is quoted as saying.