MOTOR SPORT: FIA president Max Mosley believes reports of Formula One's impending demise have been greatly exaggerated and believes the sport faces a rosy future despite several issues plaguing it this season, including Michael Schumacher's unprecedented domination on the way to his fifth consecutive World Championship.
"I don't find it boring. Some of the races have been boring but many have been extremely good," he said. "I see Michael Schumacher as a sporting phenomenon, like Muhammad Ali at his prime, Pete Sampras at his prime.
"If Michael Schumacher had not been there we would have had a very exciting championship going on this year. I'm very optimistic for the future.
"If we have a good year in 2006, and I think we will, you will probably find one or two teams come in.
"We need professional racing teams from outside Formula One to come in. There are at least four waiting."
Mosley believes worries over engine supply are the main obstacle facing newcomers and has pledged to remedy that problem despite warnings from some companies that they will consider pulling out.
He is likely to enforce major changes to engines from 2006, cutting capacity from three-litre V10s to 2.4 litre V8s and demanding that power plants last longer. Part of that proposal includes a requirement to supply smaller teams on the cheap.
Meanwhile, McLaren's Kimi Raikkonen proved Ferrari technical director Ross Brawn's view of him as the natural heir to Michael Schumacher's crown right when he went closest to the seven times champion's best time in yesterday's free practice sessions ahead of tomorrow's Italian Grand Prix at Monza.
"Raikkonen has shown he is (the natural successor to Schumacher as champion), more than anyone," Brawn told yesterday's Gazzetta dello Sport newspaper. "It was evident last year, and in Spa we saw that now he has the tools for the job. He is an exceptional driver, he doesn't make many errors."
Raikkonen proved it yesterday afternoon, coming to within three tenths of a second of Schumacher's morning session time of one minute, 20.526 seconds, the best of the day.
Finland's Raikkonen, who won last time out at the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa to end Schumacher's streak of seven successive victories and give McLaren their first win in more than a year, then hit back with the fastest lap of the afternoon.
His time of 1:20.846 on a sunny afternoon pipped Ferrari's Rubens Barrichello's lap of 1:20.899 and Schumacher's best second session effort of 1:21.080.
After finishing 22nd in the morning session, Jordan's Nick Heidfeld failed to take part in the afternoon session after his car developed an oil leak. Team-mate Giorgio Pantano was 21st in the afternoon, with test driver Timo Glock finishing the day in 16th place.
