Breaking news
Formula 1
Renault: F1 should fast-track new engine regs after Honda exit
Renault Formula 1 boss Cyril Abiteboul believes that Honda’s impending withdrawal from the sport should trigger an earlier than planned change of power unit regulations.
Adam Cooper
Edited: Oct 7, 2020, 8:20 AM
Copy link
Share on Viber
The current rules are due to remain in place until the end of 2025, and discussions are already underway about what direction F1 technology should take after that.
F1 managing director Ross Brawn has publicly acknowledged that no new manufacturer is likely to join the sport until new regulations come into force.
Abiteboul suggests that Honda’s withdrawal indicates that the current rules are not as successful as they should be, and that the change should be brought forward from 2026 in order to encourage other manufacturers to enter.
Honda announced last week that it will stop its F1 programme at the end of the 2021 season, leaving the Red Bull and AlphaTauri teams looking for a new partner.
“I want to be very clear that we take no satisfaction in the Honda situation,” Abiteboul told Motorsport.com.
“We need to call it the way it is, it’s not a positive development for F1. We want an F1 with car makers, with OEMs, with engine suppliers, and being down to three engine manufacturers is not a positive development.
“We need to draw some clear conclusions from this situation, and it’s something I’ve been urging the governing body to look at more carefully.
“The engine situation is simply unsustainable. In particular from an economic perspective, but also from a technology perspective.
“I am not sure we can afford this perception. Either we’re capable of changing this perception of the current engine architecture, or probably we need to fast track the adoption of a new architecture, so that we get in a better place in terms of perception again.
“I would expect that this development triggers some harder thinking about the scheduling of the next generation of power trains.”
Read Also:
- Renault willing to supply F1 engines to Red Bull in 2022
- Why latest Honda Formula 1 exit means it may never come back
- Ricciardo: No regrets on McLaren move despite Renault progress
Abiteboul concedes that under the current rules the sport is not attractive to new manufacturers given the resources required to develop a competitive package.
“The entry ticket is so high in terms of costs, but also in terms of technology,” he said.
“Even if you spend an awful lot it’s going to take you a while before you get there. We’ve seen a demonstration of that, although obviously now we’re feeling a bit better.
“But you could be standing on an island and saying it’s all good and fine because we’ve crossed the sea, but that sea is simply too wide and too hard for the sustainability of F1.
“And we need to have more people on that island where we are right now. So we need to do something, we need to think harder about the environmental sustainability of the engine, about the economic sustainability of the engine.
“There has been a bit that has been done, but it’s not enough. We need to be harder on that. Just like we’ve done a lot on the chassis side in the last few months, we need to hit very hard on the engine side if we don’t want F1 to be hurt on this aspect.”
Abiteboul agreed that Honda’s stated reasoning for its withdrawal – focussing on its plans to pursue sustainability and carbon neutrality – did not reflect well on F1. He says that the sport as a whole has not effectively promoted its efficiency credentials.
“It’s just more evidence that we have failed in putting together the right messaging and the right marketing of these engine regulations, which are mind blowing – there is nothing more advanced in the world in terms of automotive powertrain.
“There is nothing that even gets close to this efficiency level for light vehicles, so that’s remarkable.
“But it’s just as remarkable to have failed so badly in explaining to the world and getting the world to understand what this is all about, and the windfalls that could impact more mainstream technology.
“It’s just a demonstration that when the perception is wrong at the start it’s very difficult to change it, and I guess we need to think very hard collectively about what we’ve done wrong and how we can change it.
“Ask also if we can change it within the current regulations, or if we need to change the regulations so that perception also changes? I don’t have the answers to those questions.”
Abiteboul says the manufacturers can do more to promote their technology.
“It’s a little bit sad that we’ve not made a collective job at that, not just Honda, it’s all of us. F1 has missed an opportunity of leveraging an asset that we have.
“We have invested in an asset, in the platform, in the technology, probably billions collectively we have invested.
“It’s just the basics of marketing, we need to get the world to know what we’re doing, not simply do it and complain about it.
"Every now and then when drivers are talking about the engines, it’s to complain, and it’s very unfortunate that we have very little opportunity to talk about how amazing the engines are.
“Equally I accept that it’s difficult, and maybe we need to ask ourselves if we need to have that level of technology in the engines if technology is only deemed to be detrimental to the competitiveness of a team and of a car.”
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article F1 return to Rio now rests on environmental green light
Next article McLaren: Wind sensitivity issue with 2020 F1 car "sucks"
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Adam Cooper
RB: Tsunoda “mentally on a different level” in 2024
Formula 1
Formula 1
Japanese GP
Apr 10, 2024
RB: Tsunoda “mentally on a different level” in 2024
Andretti planning F2 and F3 entries to promote US talent to F1 team
Formula 1
Formula 1 Apr 10, 2024
Andretti planning F2 and F3 entries to promote US talent to F1 team
Andretti F1 team formally opens new Silverstone facility
Formula 1
Formula 1 Apr 10, 2024
Andretti F1 team formally opens new Silverstone facility
More from
Renault F1 Team
Does Daniel Ricciardo regret leaving Red Bull for Renault?
Formula 1
Formula 1
United States GP
15 d
Does Daniel Ricciardo regret leaving Red Bull for Renault?
On this day: Fernando Alonso wins the world title, Michael Schumacher retires from F1
Formula 1
Formula 1
Brazilian GP
22 d
On this day: Fernando Alonso wins the world title, Michael Schumacher retires from F1
You Ask The Questions: Robert Kubica
Formula 1
You Ask The Questions: Robert Kubica
Latest news
Carson Hocevar and Cleetus McFarland win LeMullets 2026 in epic finish
General
Misc General 2 h
Carson Hocevar and Cleetus McFarland win LeMullets 2026 in epic finish
TV ratings released for NASCAR Cup season finale
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Homestead-Miami
8 h
TV ratings released for NASCAR Cup season finale
Chase Elliott's car chief leaves Hendrick for NASCAR Truck crew chief role
NASCAR Truck
NSTR NASCAR Truck
Homestead
9 h
Chase Elliott's car chief leaves Hendrick for NASCAR Truck crew chief role
Feature
Discover prime content
Top 10 F1 cars of the 1970s
Formula 1
By Kevin Turner
Top 10 F1 cars of the 1970s
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe