The move to smaller, more-efficient engines from the 2013 season onwards has lost further support as more teams on the grid look content to remain using the current V8 engines.
Bernie Ecclestone’s distaste of the proposed ‘greener’ engine formula is well documented, as is Ferrari’s, both of whom have labelled the move as a ‘purely PR’.
Meanwhile, Renault team principal Eric Boullier has weighed in on the debate. The Frenchman has urged the governing body to take heed of the fans’ opinion and to consider the sound of the new engine.
“The question is can we afford such a change?,” he told the official F1 website. “Formula One must stop thinking of ego wars or securing influence. We should think more about how to improve Formula One.
“If we have to stick to the V8 because in the end we can’t afford the change, because we cannot reproduce the sound that the fans want, then we should stick with the V8 – or at least wait a little bit before moving to something new,” he said.
Mercedes are also reportedly coming round to dropping the 2013 rules as they also have some concern over the cost. Norbert Haug says the German manufacturer would only support them if there was a guarantee over a reduction in costs.
“We support the four cylinder only if there is a guarantee that the costs will be reduced by 30% over a period of five years.”
The FIA’s move was in part in response to the hope the new regulations would attract new suppliers, in the form of Volkswagen, BMW and possibly the return of Honda or Toyota.
However, the majority of them have decided against the idea and so far the only new supplier is Craig Pollock’s P.U.R.E. engine – which many have dismissed as a gimmick to help push the new rules through.
The FIA’s president Jean Todt will meet with engine manufacturers in Spain this weekend to discuss the matter, further prompting speculation that the rules will be dumped.
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