Categories: F1 News, Reports and Race ResultsFerrari

Vettel calls for cheaper power units

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Sebastian Vettel has urged a move back to cheaper power units and a return to the old days of aspirated engines, despite his own team Ferrari having already vetoed a proposal to cap engine costs.

"I personally think the current power unit regulations are too expensive and it would be beneficial for all the teams and the whole sport to go back to something normally aspirated," said the four-time world champion.

"They have cost a lot of money already and they will keep costing a lot of money," he pointed out.

"Everything else that we have been trying to with changes to rules doesn't change the key problem. I think a lot of problems that we face now go back to the fact it was the wrong way to go," he added.

Vettel was among the drivers who co-signed a letter from the Grand Prix Drivers' Association blasting the current decision-making and regulations that the sport has adopted, which put him at odds with Formula 1 promoter Bernie Ecclestone

"I can't change the rules, I think it is a good thing that you don't let one driver or one person change the rules, but the way it is currently set up is probably not the best either.

"It's clear that we drivers are not here to make the rules. In no sports does a sportsman make the rules, so that's clear and we don't want to be the ones who decide where the sport is going.

Vettel's comments about power units this time bring him back in line with Ecclestone, who has also been outspoken about the current engine situation in the sport.

"This engine is good, I'm told, for the car manufacturers," Ecclestone told Sky Sports F1. "But if it is and they want to use it to experiment they should use it in the World Touring Car Championship."

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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.