Red Bull's Horner suggested F1 was 'nowhere' on future engine rules ahead of April 30 deadline for cheaper fees and supply guarantees
Tuesday 19 April 2016 11:36, UK
Mercedes and Ferrari insist F1's engine manufacturers have gone out of their way to devise more cost-effective regulations - despite Christian Horner claiming the sport is 'nowhere' on the matter.
After a 2015 season in which engine politics dominated the off-track agenda as Red Bull threatened to quit F1, the FIA charged the sport's four manufacturers - Mercedes, Ferrari, Renault and Honda - to come up with proposals to tackle four key areas of concern in time for 2018 at the latest.
These were a reduction in the cost of customer supplies, a guarantee to supply all teams, performance convergence, and improving the noise of the engines.
In January, in exchange for keeping the current hybrid technology in place until 2020, the manufacturers agreed to lower the price customer teams pay for their engine supplies to €12m. The FIA said "significant further progress" had been made and placed a deadline of April 30 for the plans to be formally agreed.
However, less than a fortnight before the new rules are supposed to be signed off, Red Bull boss Christian Horner cast down on the chances of agreement being reached.
"As we sit here now, we are not anywhere near having met any of those criteria and I think unfortunately what will happen, as is often the case with these things, time will run out at the end of the month and nothing will be achieved and nothing will change," Horner said at the Chinese GP.
"There is one more attempt in the Strategy meeting and the Commission meeting at the end of the month to discuss and table the concerns and where we're at, but failing that regulations will inevitably stay as they are."
However, Mercedes and Ferrari - who between them supply more than half the grid with power units - have countered Horner's claims
Ferrari chairman Sergio Marchionne told Sky Sports F1: "We have gone miles in terms of engine supply.
"We have found a way in which the four engine manufacturers can continue to supply the sport on a way that may not be the most economically advantageous, but it does provide continuity for the other teams and I think that's important. So hopefully that will get through."
Mercedes chief Toto Wolff suggested Horner's comments were "a bit of a one dimension" and insisted the German manufacturer had gone further than they would have ideally liked to on the issue of supply guarantees in particular.
"We've offered much cheaper engines and actually met the targets we set ourselves," the Austrian told Sky F1. "We have structured an obligation to supply - which we don't like particularly, but we have offered it to not run into a Red Bull situation again - and all that is on paper.
"But then it comes down to the detail of the contract and obviously not everybody is happy. He [Horner] isn't happy, but it's about finding a compromise."
In an attempt to push the manufacturers towards agreeing concessions, Bernie Ecclestone and FIA president Jean Todt controversially proposed the introduction of an independent 'budget' engine for 2017, which would use simpler technology and be made available at a fraction of the cost of the current V6 turbo units.
Marchionne says all the engine manufacturers are in agreement that the existing technology should remain the basis for future regulations.
"On the larger issue of simplifying the powertrain, I think we need to be careful that we don't end up turning the sport into something that it's not supposed to be," he said.
"This is supposed to be the leading edge of automotive experiences and so the powertrain needs to reflect the development of the industry itself.
"I am happy with the way in which the powertrain has developed today, it doesn't meet everyone's objectives - Red Bull has got a different view - but we are of the view that we need to continue in this fashion and it's a view that's shared by the other engine manufacturers."
Meanwhile, on the issue of making the current engines louder, Wolff confirmed: "We are working on various concepts and have made it one of the key points in order to find solutions."
Don't miss the F1 Report on Wednesday at 8:30pm on Sky Sports F1 for full analysis of an action-packed Chinese Grand Prix at the Shanghai International Circuit. Natalie Pinkham is joined in the studio by Marc Priestley and Alex Lynn.
