December 24, 2008

MARK Webber has admitted some races this year were so boring even the most ardent fan would have nodded off.

And the Australian is not convinced that rule changes for 2009 aimed at making the sport more competitive will have the desired effect.

Webber described the 2008 season overall as a good one for F1, crowned by the nail-biting climax in Brazil when McLaren's Lewis Hamilton clinched the world title with an overtaking move at the final corner.

But he intimated officials had still not hit on a formula which would provide genuinely close racing. "There are many changes next year - slick tyres on the cars and the aerodynamic regulations are very aggressive - and we haven't seen changes like them for many years," Webber told the BBC.

"The main thought behind them is to make overtaking easier. A few races this season could have put even the most hard-core fan to sleep, such was the lack of overtaking, so changes were necessary.

"It's hard to predict exactly what effect they will have."