F1 CEO Domenicali Says Red Bull's Engine Freeze Plan Is Supported By Liberty Media

If Red Bull doesn't get its way, then it has threatened to leave the sport.

By Sahil Gupta

1 mins read

Published on February 5, 2021

Highlights

The former Ferrari boss supports the engine development freeze plan
His former team may not agree to this plan but is open to the idea
Red Bull needs the engine freeze so that it can acquire the Honda IP

Red Bull will be in unknown waters when the 2021 season ends as its engine partner of the last 3 years, Honda, has decided to exit the sport. Red Bull has been actively pursuing an engine development freeze till 2025 starting at the end of the 2021 season as it intends to acquire the Honda power unit IP and use it till the next set of engine regulations are kicked in. However, this is a plan that's not fully supported by Ferrari which also holds veto power and Renault also opposes this plan. ''I hope everyone realises that this is not only the right choice for Red Bull but for the whole of Formula 1,'' said Stefano Domenicali who became the CEO of F1 in 2021. Domenicali added that there is good interest in attracting new teams, manufacturers and brands to the support which in the recent past has become prohibitively expensive. Many believe that Red Bull's Max Verstappen could challenge Lewis Hamilton if Honda was to give a great engine 'In recent weeks we have seen interest from various parties who want to compete in the world championship in some form. The sport should be more about entertainment and the qualities of the driver should be central again'', added the Italian who was Ferrari's team principal till 2014. Red Bull feels that it doesn't have the resources or know-how to further develop the Honda engine so it needs a development freeze to remain competitive. This, however, is a sore point for Ferrari and Renault because the Italian team lost a lot of power thanks to technical regulations at the end of 2019 and the French team has been in hot pursuit of both Honda and Mercedes and wants to catch up to them. Red Bull seems to have closed a deal with Honda but it needs a go-ahead with all stakeholders. A meeting scheduled for late January was postponed to the ire of Red Bull's Helmut Marko which indicates that there could be more stumbling blocks. If Red Bull doesn't get its way, then it has threatened to leave the sport.