Red Bull can count on Steiner's support: 'That's why this is needed now'
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General
- GPblog.com
On Thursday, February 11, a vote will be held on freezing the engines in Formula 1 from 2022. Red Bull Racing and AlphaTauri have come up with the idea, as Honda will cease to be an engine supplier in F1 after next season. There is a lot of talk about it, but the Austrians seem to be able to count on the support of Haas F1.
The American team believes that an engine freeze will make Formula 1 more exciting. Guenther Steiner said in an interview with RTL: "I am in favour of the freeze because it can ensure that the picture changes when it is always the same person who wins."
Dominance of Mercedes
The team boss is of course referring to Mercedes' dominance since 2014 when the hybrid engines made their appearance. "They have done a super job. I don't want to criticise that at all. But we have to keep the sport competitive, because if it's always the same guy who wins, I get bored. Boring, that's what Niki (Lauda, ed.) would have said," says Steiner.
The 55-year-old further states that the fans are actually the most important thing for Formula 1. "The spectators are what we need. We have to put on a good show for them. Without spectators we are nothing. We are not racing for ourselves, we are racing for the spectators, we have to be that honest. We have to be mature enough to say: maybe we have to take one step back to take two steps forward."
Agreement appears to be in the making
The expectation is that the engine freeze will come. Helmut Marko expects at least six of the ten teams (Red Bull, AlphaTauri, Ferrari, Haas F1, Alfa Romeo and Renault) to vote in favour. Moreover, Red Bull can count on the support of Liberty Media in its plans. Mercedes itself states by means of Toto Wolff that it is also in favour of an engine freeze, but reportedly under certain conditions.