Red Bull’s permanence in Formula 1 beyond the 2021 season is still up in the air when there is less than a year left for the regulatory change. Honda announced by surprise that it was no longer going to build engines for Formula 1, which has left Red Bull in the lurch. And the options to continue are reduced.
The most difficult thing seems that Red Bull has already achieved it. Has reached an agreement to maintain Honda engines even running the energy drink brand with maintenance. But now they need a second step: freezing the thrusters. And it seems that it is not as close as it seemed.
Mercedes is in favor of engine freezing, but Ferrari and Renault do not
The alarm was raised by Helmut Marko, one of Red Bull’s bosses. “On Friday we agreed, on Monday suddenly we no longer”says the Austrian about the negotiations they are having with the other three motorists so that the propellants are frozen, at least, until 2025.
The danger of Red Bull leaving Formula 1 is significant, and it could be very damaging to the competition. Let us remember that they not only manage a team, but also Alpha Tauri is his property. With the pandemic situation, it is very difficult for anyone new to enter, so Formula 1 could be doomed to the sad situation of having only eight teams on track.
It seems that the agreement between Red Bull and Honda is total. They are going to keep your technology and also your staff as a rental. They will be able to maintain the engines, but logically they do not have the necessary infrastructure to develop them, so the freeze is a must for Red Bull to follow.
In the last meeting it seems that of the three remaining riders only Mercedes voted in favor. Not because I want to support Red Bull, but because they have the best engine, and a freeze would ensure they continue to have it until at least 2025. But Ferrari and Renault did not agree to halt development yet.
“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. The Red Bull Honda project is very ambitious, but I think they can do it. So we are basically in favor of the freeze, “said Toto Wolff, the Mercedes team boss.
If finally Red Bull cannot keep Honda’s engines, it would be forced to use Renault’s, with whom they have a terrible relationship. So much so that the future of the energy drink brand in Formula 1 would be in question. We will see if there is finally freezing until 2025, when a change in the technical regulation of engines is expected.
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