F1’s governing body backtracked on aerodynamic changes for the 2014 season because of fears the next generation of cars would be too slow.
After the recent World Motor Sport Council meeting in Turkey, the FIA announced that scheduled bodywork rule changes for 2014 to reduce downforce have been replaced by "2012 specification".
"There was concern that formula one cars would become too slow," read a report by the authoritative German magazine Auto Motor und Sport.
One problem is that the all-new turbo V6 and energy recovery systems will add considerable weight - and more than initially expected - to the 2014 single seaters.
With the 2014 rules, the FIA is reportedly aiming to slow down the F1 cars by no more than five seconds per lap.
Any more than that, the German report claimed, runs the risk that formula one could be genuinely outpaced by Le Mans prototype cars, or the US-based Indycars.