Formula One ponders a change of scene

Jackie Stewart gently tapped his glittering wristwatch to emphasise a point.

"Formula One needs to stay special. You don't find a Rolex shop on every street corner. It has to keep that rarity value," the triple world champion said at the Malaysian Grand Prix.

Stewart's point was that, amid debate about how many races there should be on the calendar and suggestions ranging from 16 to the mid 20s, the glamour sport should be careful to protect its image.

While he won two of his titles -- in 1969 and 1971 -- when there were only 11 races to the season, Stewart believes the current level of 17 is right.

But he would like to see grands prix better distributed in what is after all a world championship.

Italy and Germany have two races each at present, while South America has just one and Africa and the Middle East are not represented.

Eleven of the 17 races are in Europe.

"No country should have more than one race," said Briton Stewart, who sold his own Formula One team to Ford and saw it renamed Jaguar in 2000.

There is pressure on teams to cut costs but there are also many countries clamouring for a slot in the championship and ready to build circuits.

WORLD SHIFT

China, India, Dubai and Egypt have been mentioned as possible venues while Turkey is another candidate.

"Enjoying two continents in one grand prix. Is it possible? Sure it is," Mumtaz Tahincioglu, president of the Turkish automobile and motorsports federation, said in a full-page advertisement in F1 magazine in January.

"Istanbul...is the obvious choice for Turkey in its bid to hold a Formula One grand prix in the near future."

Malaysia was the last newcomer, in 1999 with the most modern circuit in the world, and before that it was Hungary opening up the old Communist Bloc in 1986.

The next new venue, at one point tipped to be China, looks likely to be Russia with a circuit outside Moscow scheduled for completion in 2003.

"I think there will be a general shift to the Middle East and Far East and that China and India are obviously very interesting candidates for the future," International Automobile Federation (FIA) president Max Mosley said last month.

"If we had got India and China, we would have half the world population or something like it."

Canadian Jacques Villeneuve, the world champion with Williams in 1997, responded to proposals to cut costs -- by limiting the numbers of engines and shortening the race weekend -- with his own expansionary suggestion.

"I think the idea of a two-day weekend is great," the British American Racing driver said in Australia. "If that was the case, I would like to see 25 races a year. We have too much testing and not enough racing."

"We could have three races a month and then two weeks off...more races and less testing would mean the same mileage on the cars and the same costs but more publicity and more fun for everyone."

KEEN TRAVELLER

That idea would not go down well with McLaren boss Ron Dennis, who has suggested that the simplest way to cut costs would be to lop a race off the calendar.

While Villeneuve's suggestion was the most radical, other drivers are enthusiastic about a possible change of scene and more chances to race.

"It is always interesting, especially for us, to experience new racing circuits," said Ferrari's four-times world champion Michael Schumacher at Sepang.

"I have been in Formula One for 12 years and if you always go to the same circuits you always have the same routine.

"You have seen the countries and you have seen the towns and after a while you don't really go and look any more, you just go and spend the weekend concentrating on work.

"Going to new countries always offers new opportunities to get to know the country and see something new, which I quite like.

"Testing is not always so interesting. But I wouldn't mind limiting testing and racing the same number of races.

"But its going to be difficult to squeeze in more races. You are just going to make the season longer...and we need the two months preparation from January to the first race and the time off from the last race until January."

His Brazilian team mate Rubens Barrichello thought differently. "I would welcome more races," he said. "I would find it no problem to do more racing.

"But 25 races would probably be too much."