Christian Horner’s demands for a new engine in 2016 are selfish, according to Mercedes technical boss Paddy Lowe, who claims the Red Bull boss is only making such demands because Red Bull are no longer winning.
Horner has called for the current hybrid-V6 engine to be dropped either in favour of a return to the V8’s or to a new standard twin-turbo V6, as he believes it will cut costs.
Lowe claims the Briton’s comments are motivated purely by self-interest as a result of Red Bull’s pace deficit to Mercedes which Horner has persistently insisted is a result of Renault’s less powerful engine.
“Nothing could be a clearer example than what we’re seeing, where somebody is feeling that he’s not on top of the heap at the moment, therefore the rules are all wrong,” Lowe told journalist Adam Cooper. “I don’t remember that happening before. I’ve worked in teams who have had good years and very bad years, I don’t remember anyone ever saying that we should change the rules so that I can win again. I don’t get it.
“We’ve got clear rules, it was all designed with everyone’s agreement. The reason you have rules for stability in F1, particularly around the power unit, is that it allows people to set good regulations at a distance to be uninvolved with your relative performance. When people are asking for rule changes at short notice it’s all about self-interest.”
Lowe added that he fails to see how changing engine again would amount to a cost saving, rather than what he believes would lead to further expenses for the manufacturers and teams.
“Apparently a twin-turbo is supposed to be cheaper and a cost saving measure against a single turbo,” he added. “I haven’t quite worked that one out! Perhaps we’ll find out how that works. It completely contradicts all the other discussions in F1 which are around being cost effective and maintaining a platform whereby teams can compete whether they are financed as we are one end of the grid, or at the other.
“There is one simple fact in F1, rule changes cost money, particularly ones involving the engine, so it’s just the most ridiculous idea I’ve ever heard for how to save costs in F1.”
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