Bojan Vrbnjak
The medium term future Formula 1 it is slowly taking shape after it is now as well Ferrari landed on engine freezing from year 2022 forward. So far, they have resisted this, but the question arises as to where this change in mentality is coming from and, above all, why.
Mattia binotto, team boss Ferrari, justified this attitude of his brand with the necessary laying the foundations for the near future of Formula 1 and considers: "This is not the first time Ferrari has reacted responsibly.“But Ferrari binds his goodwill to the condition: Planned new engine policy for 2026 is expected to move to leto 2025because it will Ferrari agreed to freeze engines from 2022 instead of 2023. The topic of engine freezing came from Red Bull Racing, after Honda announced that after the end of the season 2021 withdrawal from Formula 1. The responsible teams now plan to Honda engines from 2022 used in self-directed, without going down in development war against Ferrari, Mercedes and Renault, as they do not have the necessary knowledge in this area.
"We as Ferrari understand this situation. In the past few days, we have had talks with representatives of Formula 1 and the FIA. These talks are still ongoing,” he says binotto. For Ferrari engine freezing would only make sense if uniformity or so-called Balance of performance. Or as he says binotto"A drive convergence mechanism is needed if one manufacturer has less capacity than others.“After all, it doesn’t just freeze tehnika, but also the relative capacity of the producers, adds the Italian, emphasizing: "This is a very important detail.”Especially because Ferrariwhen it comes to engines, it sees it at a disadvantage compared to the competition. In binotto becomes even more political as it requires significant changes for new drive units from 2025 and a clear picture of the new rules by the middle of next year. And why so early? “Because we believe that future powertrains will look significantly different from current ones," so binotto.
"From Ferrari's point of view, there are important factors that need to be addressed, such as the significantly different cost structure. New engines need to be more financially sustainable. The drive unit should cost half as much as it does today.“That would mean three to four million euros per unit. binotto does not believe, however, that the relevant negotiations will be an easy walk, but expects the difficult task of putting the various performances into common denominator. He says: "In the matter of sustainability and the CO2 footprint, we must set very ambitious goals and act very proactively, but as manufacturers, Formula 1 and the FIA must also work together to make progress on the rules as soon as possible. Because these new rules will define the future of Formula 1 from 2025 to 2030."
