“We don’t want to have an escalating fuel and oil war”- Toto Wolff on the new engine plans of Ferrari with the talks of synthetic fuel.
The new engine rules are still under discussion and achieving sustainability and cost-efficiency are two prime targets to achieve. Synthetic fuels are being phased in within the current hybrid regulations, and are set to play a bigger role in the future.
However, Wolff has wanted about the opposing interests of the current F1 partners, who might feel dejected under the new rules, if everyone is not encompassed.
“It’s very clear that batteries are getting ever more efficient, and that energy reconversion is happening,” he said of the direction the rules should take.
“I think more sustainable fuels, whether it is synthetic fuels or something else, can be very interesting,” he said. “But they need to be looked at with our fuel and oil partners, of course, because we don’t want to have an escalating fuel and oil war, as interesting as it would be for all of us to push boundaries. So it’s about the right compromise.”
Mercedes will back engine freeze
Mercedes since the first day supported the engine freeze proposal by Red Bull, and also back the fast-tracking of the new engine regulations from 2026 to 2025.
Now, the prospect of both things happening is even more, with Mattia Binotto declaring that even Ferrari will support the engine freeze, contrary to their previous objections.
“I don’t have any reaction to anybody saying something,” he said. “We have a position that we always supported a 2022 engine freeze, and bringing forward the 2026 regulations into 2025.
“I think it’s important to design a power unit that considers where the world goes, having more electrical propulsion. And it’s certainly suddenly something interesting and this needs to be done within a cost business case that is sustainable for F1, also from a financial side.”
