For the first time in...

For the first time in 15 years, the 2008 season will feature a grand prix field racing without traction control. The teams are already testing a common Engine Control Unit (ECU) which governing body the FIA hopes will allow it to ensure no squad is providing drivers with aids that prevent them spinning their wheels.

But does it mean we’ll see cars coming out of corners sideways, as though the clock has been turned back 40 years? Or will the drivers be spearing off the track as they attempt to tame their unruly beasts?

According to one F1 star, it should spice up the action. BMW ace Nick Heidfeld revealed: “There will be more mistakes, overtaking and sliding around, so it should be fun.”

How much is dependent on how well the teams tune their cars during off-season testing. Tyre wear is likely to increase, as even the most light-footed F1 star will struggle to apply nearly 900bhp to the track without spinning the wheels. It means the drivers who will initially see the most benefit are those with a smooth touch at the wheel, such as Jenson Button, David Coulthard and Giancarlo Fisichella.

However, the same principles that have always applied will dominate. For the most part, the 22 men on the grid are the top drivers in the world who’ve made their names by racing without the aid of traction control.

While they understand that time spent spinning wheels is a waste, they also know that drivers with a rougher edge, such as Fernando Alonso and Robert Kubica, will still be quick.

Traction control was legitimised in 2001, because the FIA felt it was impossible to police whether squads were hiding such systems within the complex computers that govern nearly every element of their cars. Although it had been banned in 1993, teams had found complex ways of replicat?ing the effect of traction control with engine and differential settings. So, to banish claims that some squads were illegally benefiting, FIA bosses allowed traction control to be used.

Now that the teams are running common ECUs, policing a ban should be easy – or should it? Force India F1 tech chief Mike Gascoyne claimed: “If you’ve got 20 electronics engineers with time to look at it, there will be possibilities to exploit the rules.”

So, knowing grand prix racing’s ability to get embroiled in lengthy off-track disputes, it probably won’t be long before the arguments start.