Scuderia Ferrari is confident the four power unit manufacturers of Formula 1 will be very close in terms of overall performance when their engines are frozen in 2022.
A freeze on engine development will be introduced at the end of the 2021 Formula 1 season in order to allow manufacturers to prioritise work on new hardware for 2025, when a new formula will be introduced. The V6 hybrid turbos will be in their ninth season of use next year. Mercedes has long been considered to have by far the best power unit, but in recent years rivals such as Honda have made considerable gains.
Ferrari has also made noticeable progress with its power unit this year, but at the moment is still believed to lag behind its rivals. Nonetheless Scuderia Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto feels that agreeing to a freeze was the right decision.
“The reason of the freeze of the 2022 I agreed because I believe that by then, in a year’s time, we may have somehow a good convergence on the performance of 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.” – the Ferrari boss explained.
Yet Mattia Binotto does not expect all four manufacturers – Ferrari, Mercedes, Honda and Renault – will be at exactly the same level at the start of the 2022 Formula One championship: “Convergence means that there will be a delta between power units which is sufficiently negligible to leave then the competition on the chassis.” – the Ferrari boss added.
As he expects engine manufacturers will have near-parity next year, Mattia Binotto feels this is the ideal moment for Formula 1 to switch its focus to the next generation of regulations.
“If we are converging, then I think we should simply make sure that everybody is spending their own money for what will be the 2025 [power unit]. So it’s a matter of avoiding excessive spending in a period where we need really to think on, eventually, a new power unit.” – Scuderia Ferrari Team Principal Mattia Binotto concluded.
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