“The element of the financial rules must be defined and also the aspect of what it means to be a new participant, what benefits you should enjoy”. With these words reported by La Gazzetta dello Sport, Scuderia Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto referred to the draft of the regulation relating to the new power unit generation that will take place in Formula 1 starting with the 2026 season.
The content of the draft in question was revealed by Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner. The boss of the Milton Keynes team stated, according to what was reported by the GPFans media outlet, that the status of new participant as an engine manufacturer starting from 2026 will confer a ‘bonus’ for the expenses related to the power units – which will be introduced – equal to 10 million dollars for the first two years, with another 5 million ‘extra’ in the third year, 2028. In addition, alongside the economic bonus, more hours of dynamic bench testing are foreseen.
According to what was revealed by the German journalist Michael Schmidt, in a video analysis following the 2022 Australian Grand Prix made for the German magazine Auto Motor und Sport, Scuderia Ferrari Team Principal Mattia Binotto stressed that the 2022 entry list bears the wording ‘Red Bull Powertrains’ next to the teams Red Bull and AlphaTauri, so the Ferrari team principal rightly wonders why Red Bull Powertrains should be considered a rookie engine manufacturer starting with 2026.
According to formulapassion.it, Red Bull’s thesis to support rookie status in 2026 is that Honda is currently building again the engines and Red Bull just puts the logo on it. These are details and quibbles that are reminiscent of the interpretation of the word ‘any’ regarding the regulations on the Safety Car situation which took place in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix last December. At that time, Christian Horner and Red Bull’s sporting director Wheatley pointed out that ‘any’ does not mean ‘all’, and that therefore Michael Masi’s actions were not wrong in trying to guarantee a ‘racing’ finish for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
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The definitive regulation on the new generation of engines on paper should be defined by June, but in light of this and many other disputes not yet resolved, it is difficult to expect a deadline that is now just around the corner to be met.
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