Williams technical director Patrick Head thinks the way some penalties were given out, or not given out, in some cases, were unfair to the Williams drivers this season and suggests that the FIA is biased in favour of Ferrari. Head is still annoyed at the penalty handed to Juan Pablo Montoya at Indianapolis, when the Colombian hit the Ferrari of Rubens Barrichello.

"I have to admit that my first thought was that Juan Pablo's manoeuvre to pass Barrichello was a little too optimistic," he said, according to a report on the BMW website. "But I couldn't imagine that the stewards would penalise him, thus taking him his chance to win the title. Furthermore, I think that the stewards hadn't sufficient information on the incident at the time they decided to penalise Juan Pablo."

The incident cost Montoya his chance of winning the title but Head believes other decisions in the season were equally detrimental to both Montoya and teammate Ralf Schumacher. "It is difficult to accept that it is meeting the regulations when Michael (Schumacher) forces (Fernando) Alonso on the grass at some 300 kph, while our drivers are penalised for similar incidents," he commented.

"Some of the incidents Ferrari and the FIA have been involved in recently, have made me think. You are getting the impression that Ferrari has got some valuable helpers in important positions. There was a time when I had great respect for Charlie Whiting. But nowadays he seems not to be the master of his own decisions."

Towards the end of the season Ferrari lodged a complaint with the FIA about the Michelin tyres, resulting in the decision to measure tread width after a race as well as before. Michelin had to redesign its tyres but the situation bought up speculation that Ferrari may have been using a different compound between its front and rear Bridgestone tyres.

The FIA duly confiscated tyres at Monza to be examined, but Head believes the wrong tyres were looked at and therefore the investigation was of no use. "They took a left front tyre and a right rear tyre," he said. "But because of the special conditions in Monza you have to use a harder compound for the right rear and the left front tyre, while a softer compound would be an advantage for the left rear and the right front."

"This means that the tyres checked by the FIA may have been the same compound accidental while Ferrari may have been using different compounds nevertheless. That's why this investigation hasn't been very useful, from my point of view."

It's not the first time the FIA has been accused of being lenient in Ferrari's favour and probably won't be the last. Despite his dissatisfaction with some things in 2003, Head believes Williams will come out fighting in 2004. "I am convinced: at the beginning of the new season we will be the power to beat," he stated.