The Formula One constructors' world championship could be revamped in an attempt to boost the interest of engine manufacturers, according to The Guardian.

Motorsport boss Max Mosley has written to the teams with suggestions to make F1's world championships more representative of the efforts of car manufacturers.

Mosley's idea is to set up a new championship for manufacturers alongside the existing drivers' and constructors' titles, the newspaper says.

They could score points for this with their official team as well as a second team to which they could supply engines.

The proposal would see Ferrari score manufacturers' points both with their own team and with Sauber, to whom they sell a supply of customer engines.

And Jaguar, for example, could score points with their own team as well as Arrows, who also use the Cosworth V10 engine.

Breakaway circuit

Mosley is believed to view the letter as a discussion document.

But he believes that his idea would be facilitated by a new rule which restricts teams to just one engine per car over a Grand Prix weekend from the start of 2004.

The FIA claims that car manufacturers could afford to supply two teams for less than it costs to supply one under the current rules, in which there is no limit to the number of engines used.

One motivation behind the idea of a championship for engine manufacturers could be to reduce the appeal of the threatened breakaway in 2008.

The manufacturers want to have a greater involvement in the running of the sport, and a bigger slice of the money it makes.

The FIA is also proposing changes to encourage teams to limit the amount of costly testing that currently takes place.