Red Bull Racing and AlphaTauri threaten to exit Formula 1 if engine development is not frozen after 2021. That reports the German Car, motor and sport. The imminent departure of Honda is causing quite a stir in the premier class.
Engine supplier Honda announced earlier this month that it would pull the plug from the Formula 1 project after 2021. A big downer for Red Bull Racing, which therefore has to look for a new supplier at high speed. However, the imminent departure of Honda also raises a much bigger and more painful problem for Formula 1: the sport is not profitable and sustainable enough in the long term. In addition, the current engine regulations will not be overhauled until 2025, so that it is currently not interesting for new suppliers to enter the royal class.
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However, the looming shortage of suppliers is not the only problem currently at play in the royal class. Red Bull Racing wants to take over the intellectual properties of Honda. The Austrian formation wants to maintain a bit of independence in this way. Topman Helmut Marko has also informed Formula 1 that it no longer sees any potential in being a customer team, the German knows. Auto Motor and Sport. Red Bull Racing therefore prefers to build on the Honda engine of 2021 from 2022.
However, to make this plan profitable, Red Bull Racing wants engine development to be frozen from 2021. This can mean, for example, that the difference between the most powerful and weakest motor may be a maximum of 15 hp, or that the strong motor is reset. In this way, Red Bull Racing only needs to maintain the Honda power unit, but not invest tens of millions in further development of the engine. Something that Red Bull Racing says it cannot and does not want to invest. An additional advantage of this is that it becomes a lot cheaper to develop an engine, which makes the sport more attractive to new parties from the outside.
Car, motor and sport puts it this way: “The plan sounds more dramatic, however: either engine development will be frozen from 2022, or Red Bull and AlphaTauri will leave Formula 1.” The German publication reports that Mercedes is positive about this idea. Renault would be willing to agree, provided guidelines on freezing development are set in advance. Ferrari would be vehemently against the plan, however.
Logical, because the Italian superpower does not currently have a competitive power source. Ferrari also believes that Red Bull Racing is not in an emergency situation. The Maranello team is also preparing to supply a power source to Red Bull Racing. All in all, it makes Ferrari intend to vote against the proposal. The Formula 1 summit will therefore meet on Monday 26 October to discuss which direction to take in the short term.
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