Starting from 2008, traction control will be banned from use in Formula One as part of a number of changes approved by the FIA. The decision came after all competitors agreed to the changes at the meeting of the World Motor Sport Council in Paris on Wednesday.

Traction control was introduced by the FIA back in 2001 after being originally banned in 1993. Previously, it was too difficult to monitor whether teams were using traction control systems or not so F1’s governing body caved in and allowed its use. But starting from next year, every team will use the same electronic management system, which should make it easy to detect illegal systems.

Other changes include a reduction of the racecars’ width by 200mm, while plans to reintroduce slick tires have been delayed and the engine freeze rules slightly loosened.