Red Bull: Ferrari U-turn on engine freeze 'positive news' for F1

Red Bull Racing team boss Christian Horner welcomed Ferrari's change of stance on a potential freeze on engine development from 2022, insisting it was "positive news" for F1.

Ferrari had initially ruled out supporting an engine status quo from 2022, an idea promoted by Red Bull who wishes to take over Honda's engine program at the end of next year but who does not have the resources to engage in a costly development war with F1's engine manufacturers.

On Friday, Scuderia boss Mattia Binotto said that Ferrari would finally support a development freeze if F1's next generation engine was introduced in 2025, or a year earlier than scheduled.

"I think that's positive news for Formula 1," Horner told Sky F1.

"I think all the manufacturers, all the CEOs of the automotive industry, they all recognise the investment and cost of these engines.

"Particularly with the new technology coming for 2026, maybe 2025, it doesn't make sense to keep investing hundreds of millions of dollars in these engines."

However, Binotto insisted on the need for engine convergence to take place during the proposed run-up to 2025, a requirement Horner agrees with.

"There's got to be some kind of mechanism that if somebody has undershot, either over the winter or once during the season, have the ability to correct that," Horner explained.

"Otherwise you're locking in a disadvantage. But from a cost point of view, from our point of view, it's a very positive thing."

Mercedes recently said that it agrees in principle with a power unit freeze, deeming it a "sensible proposal". Horner hopes that F1's third engine manufacturer, Renault, will follow suit.

"One would have thought that for Renault it would have been completely logical as well," the Briton added.

"Let's see. It's encouraging to hear that Ferrari are backing that position."

• Read also: Ferrari changes stance - now open to F1 engine freeze!

Queried on the subject, Renault F1 executive director Marcin Budkowski said the French manufacturer is open to a three-year hold on development, but noted that Red Bull's engine partner Honda, ironically, was against a freeze before it announced its departure from F1 at the end of 2021.

“"We were always pushing for a freeze before the introduction of a new set of regulations," said Budkowski.

"If you have to develop the current engines and develop a new technology [at the same time] you don’t want to have to suddenly hire 100 people and put them on a new development while you continue developing your engine.

"We think it’s unreasonable to have two development programs at the same time.

"We think the right way to do [a freeze] is roughly three years [before introducing new regulations], so at the time we were actually advocating such a solution.

"Interestingly, Honda was against it, against limiting dyno hours, Honda was against freezing development, and obviously through the voice of Red Bull, who were then voting in the different governance committees.

"It’s interesting now Red Bull is very much in favour of a freeze and it’s interesting for us to see.

"We’re not opposed to this as long as it is the right calendar. T

"The regulations, as are set today, and until they change that’s what applies, is we’re severely restricting development from 2023, almost akin to a freeze, as there’s no more development allowed on ICEs in 2023, and the new set of regulations [are scheduled] for ‘26."

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