Bernie Ecclestone has warned against knee-jerk rule changes in the wake of a lacklustre season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix.
The Formula One commercial rights holder believes that the new rules need time to settle, saying: "I don’t think the Bahrain GP was much different to some of the other races we had last year. I think we ought to judge these things a little later. We ought to wait until we come back from China.”
Among Ecclestone’s proposals after this period are mandatory pitstops for teams, and circuit shortcuts that drivers could use a limited number of times per race.
However, Ecclestone conceded: "It would be difficult for all the promoters to alter their circuits to make that happen."
The mandatory pit stops are the option most favoured by the majority of team bosses. However reports suggest Ferrari plans to veto any proposal to add stops.
Ecclestone concluded: “There is no panic, no crisis for F1.”
