Scuderia Ferrari Team Principal Mattia Binotto warned that Formula 1 should not focus on other engine freezes for the future, after the sport has agreed to stop engine development at the end of the 2021 season. The Ferrari boss feels Formula 1 should remain a sport that is based on innovation and at the same time pointed out that the technical aspect of F1 is crucial:
“The DNA of Formula 1 always has to be competition, challenges and technical challenges” – the Italian side’s Team Principal explained – “I think there should be the freedom competing in different areas. I think that has to remain important. That’s why for example, I’m fully against freezing the engines in the future, thinking of 2025. The engines should not be frozen. I think there should be still areas of competition. Within the areas of competitions we should ask, ‘can we find a system of helping the convergence in the long term?’ Why not? But we still need open competition, where you may differentiate your project compared to the other competitors.” – he added.
Mattia Binotto also explained Ferrari’s decision to eventually agree with engine freeze proposal for 2022. The development freeze will coincide with the overhaul to F1’s aerodynamic rules, which many hope will end Mercedes’ current dominance of the sport. The freeze was originally proposed by Red Bull after Honda’s decision to withdraw from F1 at the end of 2021. It will allow Red Bull to effectively take over Honda’s supply without having to switch to a deal with Mercedes, Ferrari or Renault.
“I think that the reason of the freeze for 2022, I agreed to it, because I believe that by then we may have a good convergence on the performance on the power unit between manufacturers. We can see it’s already happening and I think that in a year’s time we may have a good convergence. Convergence means that there will be a delta between power units, which is sufficiently negligible to lift the competition on the chassis. If we are converging, then I think we should simply make sure that everybody’s spending their own money for what will be 2025. So it’s a matter of avoiding excessive spending in a period where we need really to think of a brand-new power unit.” – the Ferrari boss explained.
A new engine formula will come into force in 2025, a year earlier than originally planned in a bid to save costs. The intention is to create a powerful and emotive power unit that will still be a turbo-hybrid Ferrari feels that renewable fuels are the key in the automotive industry which the sport should not ignore.
“I don’t know if biofuel is the right definition, I would say renewable fuels. That’s the way we should approach it, the technical specifications of it. I see that full electric is not the only solution for the future of the automotive. I think that hybrid engines are certainly an alternative. But the hybrid has to be with renewable fuels, with engines which are designed for the purpose of the electrification and the hybrid. That is not the case today, because we’ve got engines where you’re plugging [in] electric parts. Now I think you’ve got an electric and you need to design the engines for the purpose of it. I think the alternative to full electric is engines designed for the purpose of being hybrid, powered by renewable fuels. F1 has to remain an important innovation platform for the automotive [industry], and I think that deciding the new regulations is key in that respect.” – Scuderia Ferrari Team Principal Mattia Binotto concluded.
Leave a Reply