MOTOR SPORT: The McLaren and Williams Formula One teams have rejected the proposed introduction of a weight handicap into grand prix racing as a penalty for being too successful.

The proposal, aimed at stemming the domination of Ferrari and Michael Schumacher, could be adopted at the October 29th meeting of the Formula One commission of the FIA, the sport's governing body, as one of a number of measures to curb car performance and reduce costs in 2003.

The package has been jointly tabled by FIA president Max Mosley and Bernie Ecclestone, the sport's commercial rights holder, both of whom are concerned at the recent slump in television viewing figures which they believe is directly due to Ferrari's stranglehold on the title.

"We would not sign up to a weight handicap in Formula One," said McLaren managing director Martin Whitmarsh. "I understand the concerns about the lack of close racing at the present time, but this is largely due to Ferrari doing an excellent job while both McLaren and Williams have badly underperformed.

"It is up to us to take steps to rectify that performance deficiency, and we will. Nobody wants to beat Ferrari simply because their cars are carrying additional weight."

The Williams team principal, Frank Williams, added: "The risk is (one of) changing the sport into something which is not Formula One. Interfering with the cars will not make racing any better.

"We need more tracks with the potential for overtaking if that is the concern."