Now that it has been decided that Red Bull will race with Honda engines from 2022 onwards, a decision on the freezing of the engine regulations also seems to be close at hand. Red Bull will not be able to develop the Honda engine themselves after their departure and will therefore need a development stop.
German Motorsport-Magazin.com reports that there will be a vote on this next Monday between the FIA, Formula 1 owners, and teams. Under the new Concorde Agreement, only a majority (rather than unanimous) vote is needed to pass the rule change.
The FIA and the owners of Formula 1, Liberty Media, both have ten votes and they have to agree to make a change. The teams and manufacturers all have one vote, bringing the total to 34. To reach a majority, 27 votes are needed.
Mercedes or Ferrari can make the difference
With Red Bull Racing, AlphaTauri and Honda already having 23 votes, support from Mercedes and its satellite teams would be enough for Red Bull to pass the freeze. Were it not for the fact that Red Bull and Mercedes differ fundamentally on the interpretation of the new regulations.
Red Bull and Ferrari would like to have the possibility to make adjustments during the freeze if one manufacturer is lagging behind. Mercedes are not in favour of this and want a freeze without the possibility to make adjustments.
A majority could also be obtained with only Ferrari, but although they agree with Red Bull on the above dispute, they prefer not to see a freeze on the engines at all. It will therefore be quite a job to convince either of them.
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