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REUTERS: Renault and Ferrari have voiced their opposition to a Formula One engine regulations freeze from 2022 that would allow Red Bull to take over Honda’s power unit once the Japanese manufacturer withdraws.
Honda will leave as an engine manufacturer at the end of next year, leaving Red Bull and sister team AlphaTauri in search of a new offering.
Red Bull boss Christian Horner said last week that the preferred option was to take on Honda’s power unit, but regulations should be frozen for that to be affordable.
Mercedes, the dominant force in Formula One, has been supportive, but Renault’s Cyril Abiteboul said on Saturday he was not a starter driver.
“I am against freezing the engines. We do not intend to stop what could be a very important platform for us. We do not accept it,” said the Frenchman before the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at the Italian circuit of Imola.
“We are in favor of talking about medium to long-term plans for the engines of the future, but certainly not of freezing the power units.”
Ferrari CEO Louis Camilleri told La Gazzetta dello Sport this week that freezing power units was against the spirit of Formula One.
“Starting in 2022, regulations provide for the introduction of a fuel with an ethanol content of 10 percent, but the FIA wants to reach 100 percent as soon as possible,” he added.
“This inevitably involves the development of some engine components.”
