“Everything is settled between us”- Red Bull increases pressure on FIA by completing a deal with Honda over their power unit.
Honda is set to leave Formula 1 in 2022, and Red Bull is without an option apart from asking FIA to freeze the power units, as the runner-ups of 2020 don’t want to rely on a rival for an engine supply.
And since they are not a car company, they don’t have an infrastructure to facilitate one for themselves. Thus, they posed the engine freeze demand last summer, and now to increase pressure on FIA, they have settled an agreement with Honda, which will allow them to use their already established work from next year.
“It is an obvious common-sense decision for Formula 1. “Everything is settled between us. The moment is there. Everyone is on the starting blocks,” said Helmut Marko to Automotor und Sport.”
“But there is no agreement until we have written proof from the FIA that the development stop on the engine side will be there,” continued Marko.”
Support from Mercedes and Ferrari
Bolstering Red Bull’s cause, Ferrari and Mercedes have agreed to support Red Bull’s engine freeze demand to FIA. However, Renault remaining the only engine manufacturing side has denied the motion.
For 2021, Renault doesn’t have an engine customer, with McLaren leaving their side for Mercedes. The French outfit has agreed to give service to Red Bull, but the latter is adamant about going back into that toxic relationship.
Alternate fuel is a hindrance.
While things were going in Red Bull’s favour, the introduction of sustainable fuel with regulations, as FIA taking first steps towards Carbon zero aim, pose a threat to engine freeze’s cause.
With Mercedes openly stating that it won’t agree for engine freeze if there are any modifications. Therefore, Red Bull is pushing hard to convince FIA to consider delaying the new fuel introduced regulations.
