This. Sad. Was exciting to see Honda enter the mix. Will be interesting to see if they pull out of Indycar, or other racing series as well.
Interesting article and something I said 3 days ago, it makes perfect sense that RBR do a deal with Honda. Ferrari will not supply RBR nor will Mercedes as they are there biggest threat to date. That leaves Renault, a hostile supplier given there past experience with the team & moreover possibly would like to relegate them to just a second rate supplied team. Unless i am reading it differently I am amazed some journalists dont actually read the FIA rules on engine supply. All the current manufacturers comply with it. Best Tony
Very cool. Hope this works out. However, I do wonder about how well a third party could pick up one of these engines and continue to develop it - especially with how tight all of the timing is for development, the strict rules, etc.
I agree but all the hardwork in the first few years by Honda has been done. Its a good power plant and would be a shame to consign it to the dustbin. Tony
Helmut Marko to #AMuS : "Max has a competitive engine in his contract. But that is also our premise. Without an engine that will make us fight for the championship, the project is not interesting for us." Developing the Honda engine on their own would be difficult too: "We would need at least 50 new people for the hybrid part alone. Problems would already start in 2022. We would have to convert the engine to biofuel immediately. And we know how complex this technology is." Helmut Marko admits that Renault has done a very good job on the engine side but: "When you go back to Renault, you get an engine that they build according to their needs. It is made for their chassis. That would be another compromise for us." Helmut Marko on a new engine manufacturer entering: "For a period of only 4 years until the new regs, nobody wants to make such an effort. Everyone knows by now that you can't just be competitive right away. Hybrid technology is far too complicated and too costly for that" Helmut Marko: "If we would bring a new engine reg earlier, it would be the best. But what interest would Mercedes have in changing anything? They have the optimal engine and they can use their advantage to drive completely different wing settings. They will be against it." Helmut Marko: "Abiteboul probably does not know whether to be for or against it. Ferrari would most likely be for it. In case of doubt, there will be a vote. And with this idiotic unanimity, not much will change/happen." https://www.auto-motor-und-sport.de/formel-1/helmut-marko-red-bull-honda-ausstieg-alternativen/?_gl=1*11wmywh*_ga*YW1wLVRRd2MyZWtTSnJKamJLQUVUTU9SQnc
No sympathy for RedBull or Marko. They designed a system to be dependent on the motor with no set provider to care only for them long term!
I'm actually quite happy this happend: -To show the FIA how genuinely stupid and waste of money the current engine rules are. -A lesson to the Marko, Horner, and whoever in the Red Bull management to be humble, and not to take every opportunity they had to smash Renault in public.
Sounds like they are having second thoughts. I can't blame them. FIA's engine formula has done nothing but send the cost of competing into outer space. Their new regs are shaping up to be as aimless as the old rules and no less expensive. FIA are increasing ethanol content from 5.75% to 10%. Why? All this nonsense about trying to be green is like putting tits on a landmine.
Yep. But Renault deserved everything they got. Year after year of over promise and under delivering, lack of parts, lack of support, arrogant statements...
I always found RB's position strange on the matter, they don't want to build their own engine, but somehow act very childish because no engine manufacturer wants to build their engine according to their chassis. They want to have their cake and eat it too, without paying or cooking!
To be fair, Honda have dropped RB on it. But that doesn’t surprise me. There is such an imbalance in PU with Merc being the only game in town. Ferrari are miles behind having been caught cheating. Renault are miles behind because, well, Renault. Honda have struggled from day one and after many years have ended up with a mid pack engine. It’s a total mess. The FIA need to get involved and sort this out. I’m surprised the team’s signed the new Concorde agreement when they must have known this disaster was about to happen. Farce.
Let's be fair hybrid tech has a limited shelf life, legislation will mean either ev or hydrogen will be the only route forward, so expect other manufacturers to bail in the medium to long term, f1 is on borrowed time probably being accelerated by Todt and the FIA
F1 will survive, but we don't know how. There will still be an interest in a World Drivers Championship, but the unknown is under which technical rules. F1 will soon be at a crossroad with a choice between ICE with synthetic fuel or hydrogen with some hybrid, and total electric. The choice hasn't been made yet on the automotive market, so it would be premature to decide which way to go already. The ecolos will try to force electric power worldwide, but the proponents of synthetic fuels or hydrogen may fight back. Will synthetic fuel provide no emission? Will hydrogen be competitive price-wise? Those are the unknown. I don't think anyone is wiser, so blaming Todt and the FIA is not helping.
Totally agree, Todt is a disaster (and all the others) and so is the FIA who seem to capitulate to political whims across the globe. They have taken this path for many years and now reap what they have sown. It amazes me how people are put forward to these jobs who really have no skills in what they do, they may have been good a their job once upon a time but totally out of their depth outside that. The name seems to carry more weight than the knowledge. As I have said before, F! is destined to be all electric and most top manufacturers around the world need to invest billions in this technology to stay ahead of the game. The ball is rolling and no one can stop it. In my humble opinion for F! to survive, the business model needs to change substantially and that means making the rules, cars power plants and prize money distribution much simpler and fairer. Tony