Ferrari won't rule out veto on Liberty's 2021 engine plans

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Ferrari isn't ruling out blocking the introduction of new engine plans for the sport due to be introduced in 2021.

The proposals for the future technical direction of the sport were made by new owners Liberty Media on Tuesday.

They retain the current architecture of the 1.6-litre V6 hybrid, but allow an increase in power to 3000rpm. The rules would also mean an end to the problematic MGU-H in favour of more kinetic energy recovery.

But the proposals have received a mixed reaction from Formula 1 teams. Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has said they are just "a starting point" for more discussions.

Ferrari has been even cooler, and hinted it might use its controversial veto to stop the plans being introduced in their current form.

"At a certain point we apply our right to do a veto for good reason at that time," said Ferrari team boss Maurizio Arrivabene.

"But within serious people and people who have a clear idea, people who understand what they are talking about, I think you don't need any veto," he added.

Ferrari is the only team to have been granted an effective veto over rule changes within Formula 1. It's a recognition of their importance to the sport as the only team to have raced in F1 since the very first race.

F1 reveals new engine format details for 2021

Red Bull boss Christian Horner has criticised Mercedes and Ferrari for their position over the changes.

He's accused them of protecting their current dominant position in the sport. He asserts that they are "blocking" the obvious need for serious reforms.

"In some way or the other, we are always blocking Red Bull in the mind of Christian," said Arrivabene.

"It's not a question of Mercedes or Ferrari blocking here or blocking there," he continued. He added that Ferrari had every right to express its opinion about the future of Formula 1, because "it's our business".

Arrivabene explained that Ferrari wanted to "keep the same engine architecture" beyond 2020 in order to reduce costs, improve performance and boost the show.

"Normally you have the simple equation: what and how?" he said.

"For sure it's not Ferrari or Mercedes driving the show, but they are the people who are manufacturing the engines."

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Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.