Good news for Red Bull; engine development stop negotiable

19 November 2020 at 11:23

Last update 19 November 2020 at 13:16

GPblog.com

Honda will be saying goodbye to Formula 1 as an engine supplier after 2021 and with it, Red Bull Racing and AlphaTauri face a major challenge. The Austrian race team says it has 'several options', but would like to use Honda engines in 2022 and beyond. This requires a development stop because Red Bull themselves cannot continue to develop until 2025. That development stop seemed almost impossible, but now there is hope for Red Bull.

Ferrari and Renault opposed Red Bull's plan to freeze the development of the V6 turbos, MGU-H, MGU-K and battery for four years after the 2021 season. Mercedes did agree with Red Bull's plans. So the development stop did not seem to come, but both Ferrari and Renault have put the door ajar.

According to information from Auto, Motor und Sport, the two manufacturers would still like to think about freezing developments in the field of engines. However, this measure should not be implemented at the end of 2021, but at the beginning of 2022.

Marko has confidence

"We cannot use this complex technology without a freeze in development. For this we need a development centre like Honda in Sakura", Marko tells the German medium. Taking over the full IP from the Japan would allegedly not be possible. "But the discussions continue and we are moving in the right direction," the top man sounds cheerful about the discussions with Ferrari and Renault.

But why should the two competitors agree to a stop from the beginning of 2022 and not from the end of 2021? The F1 engines will use E10 fuel from 2022 instead of the current E5 fuel. This would require modifications to the engines.