Categories: F1 News, Reports and Race ResultsFIA

F1 closing on two-tier engine regulations

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F1's power players are closing in on plans to allow a second set of power unit regulations in the sport.

In a move designed to reduce the amount of control car manufacturers have over the sport, the governing body and commercial rights holder want to open up the possibility for teams to run a different type of power unit to the 1.6-litre V6 turbos currently used.

The FIA and Bernie Ecclestone want to attract an independent power unit supplier which could supply smaller teams with an alternate engine, a move which would help prevent the current situation which could see Red Bull leave the sport. Red Bull is threatening to quit F1 as it has failed to get a current-specification power unit from either Mercedes or Ferrari having moved to terminate its Renault contract a year early.

The initiative from the FIA and Ecclestone has come about after attempts to impose cost control measures when new technical regulations are set to be introduced in 2017 failed.

One engine manufacturer told F1i the approval of another set of power unit regulations would lead to a two-tier championship within Formula One, describing the idea as "crazy" and saying it would consider its future within the sport if a tender went ahead.

The concern is a second set of power unit regulations would have a knock-on effect which would require a number of different technical regulations relating to other parts of the car in order to try and ensure a balance of performance.

Ecclestone has been keen on introducing alternate power unit regulations for some time, recently announcing his desire to reintroduce V8 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.