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Formula One F1 – Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates – Red Bull’s Max Verstappen in action during the race Pool via REUTERS/Giuseppe Cacace
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Formula One F1 – Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates – Red Bull’s Max Verstappen in action during the race Pool via REUTERS/Giuseppe Cacace
An ongoing important topic of discussion in the F1 community has been the engines’ development freeze proposal. Red Bull, owing to its power unit situation with Honda, made the first move earlier last season.
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Thereafter, talks went on at various meetings, with the likes of Ferrari, Mercedes, and Renault opining over the best course of action. So far, though, a concrete decision has not arrived yet in that regard.
However, Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff has said that they are open to supporting Red Bull’s cause. Considering the latter are important stakeholders in the way F1 functions, a compromise between all parties would be well suited.
Have to try together to keep the manufacturers in Formula 1, says Toto Wolff
Speaking in an interview, Wolff said, “If the freeze is necessary to keep Red Bull Honda in business, we will support it. We all have to try together to keep the manufacturers in Formula 1.” (translated via Google Translate)
Back in November 2020, Ferrari and Renault had reportedly objected to the idea in the initial meetings. However, given that Formula 1 engines would be subject to change any which way in the forthcoming years, bringing forward the freeze proposal does not sound like a bad idea.
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MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – MARCH 15: Mercedes GP Executive Director Toto Wolff looks on in the Team Principals Press Conference during practice for the F1 Grand Prix of Australia at Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)
“The Red Bull Honda project is very ambitious, but I think they can do that. That’s why we are basically for a freeze,” concluded Wolff.
Honda will enter their final season with Red Bull as a full-time engine supplier
2021 officially represents the last season of Honda’s association with Red Bull’s teams. The idea is to then undertake the power units themselves alongside incorporating Honda’s mechanics at their Milton-Keynes base.
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Formula One F1 – Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates – Red Bull’s Max Verstappen passes the chequered flag to win the race Pool via REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed
Red Bull have had two very good seasons with Honda, seeing as which they might not lose a lot of their competitive advantage. From that perspective, the concerns that other teams might have shared were with regards to the latter. Considering the dynamics, an engines’ freeze would essentially put a stop to any kind of development.
Therefore, it is now up to all ten teams to see if they can make the proposal work in the best possible ways. With the 2021 season nearly upon us, an announcement could thus arrive sooner than later.
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