Formula 1 teams meet for vital vote: Will Red Bull get what they need?

Red Bull's wish

The meeting on February 11 is above all about providing clarity to Red Bull. In 2020, Honda announced that it will end their Formula 1 project at the end of 2021, so Red Bull must look for a new engine supplier for Red Bull Racing and AlphaTauri. At least, that seemed the idea.

However, Red Bull has other plans. As a top team, Red Bull is not waiting to become dependent as a customer again and is willing to buy the Honda project itself. Those negotiations went well and the two sides quickly agreed. There is one problem, however: Red Bull does not have the money to further develop the engine.

However, there is an opportunity for Red Bull to get around this. Engine development would already be frozen from 2023, and Red Bull only needs to bring that forward by a year. However, the other manufacturers (except Mercedes) are not keen on that. They can no longer bridge the gap.

The future of Formula 1

However, according to all sources, it is a certainty that engine development will be frozen as early as 2022 and that instead of 2026, a new engine will be introduced in F1 as early as 2025. However, the competition from Red Bull will do everything they can to extend the decision for as long as possible.

However, the introduction of this rule is not only beneficial for Red Bull, but also for F1 in general. The fact that a team is able to develop that engine itself and thus keep an extra engine, makes F1 less dependent on the last remaining manufacturers Ferrari, Mercedes and Renault.

Engines should be easier and cheaper to make. This makes F1 more attractive for new teams and manufacturers to join. This move is, therefore, a small set-up towards the new regulations of 2025. Liberty Media hopes to attract even more teams and manufacturers to F1.

The new racing format

In addition to the vote on freezing the engines, there will also be talk about a possible new race format. In 2021, Formula 1 wants to test with sprint races. Qualifying will then take place on Friday, after a single morning practice. A sprint race will follow on Saturday and the normal race on Sunday. Qualifying determines the starting grid for the sprint race and the result of the sprint race determines the starting grid of the normal race.

The teams must vote on this proposal on Thursday. It would be three (extra) races in 2021 where this will be tested. Montreal, Monza and Interlagos are listed as options, but this is not yet certain. The reverse starting grid idea seems to have disappeared.

Race in Portugal

However, it also became clear on Wednesday that it will probably also be announced to the teams on Thursday that the gap in the calendar left by Vietnam will be filled by the Grand Prix of Portugal. This makes the F1 calendar of 2021 complete, but it is expected that more will change during the season.

This article was written and originally published by Tim on the Dutch edition of GPblog.com.