Todt to press for more overtaking,.................

FIA president Jean Todt has vowed to push hard to improve the excitement in Formula One.

"We need to encourage more overtaking," he said. "In Abu Dhabi it was impossible. I'm speaking as the president of the FIA. Hamilton had fresh tyres and was two seconds faster than Kubica and yet he failed to pass.

"From now on, before a new circuit is approved, we will evaluate the potential for the spectacle as well as the safety. We have already convened a meeting with technical experts such as Patrick Head and Rory Byrne."

However, Hermann Tilke, the designer of almost all the new Formula One circuits, recently dismissed suggestions he had produced unexciting tracks. "Some races have a lot of action, others not. That is the same in every sport," he said. "Racing is very dangerous, and nobody wants dead or injured drivers.

"Fans always want fast curves. But these curves are counterproductive for passing. For sure, you need fast curves. But for passing, the best design is to have a slow curve, a long straightaway and then another slow curve."