VW brands getting nervous about latest regulation F1 delays
Jul.19 - Porsche, Audi and Formula 1 are reportedly getting nervous that the Volkswagen Group's plans to enter the sport in 2026 may be thwarted.
Behind the scenes, pressure is building on the FIA to finally announce the detail of the next set of all-new engine rules, which have already been badly delayed.
Liberty Media-owned Formula One Management is pushing for a vote on the regulations in the last days of July, after which both Audi and Porsche will have 15 days to lodge their 2026 entries.
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff, however, wonders why there is such a rush.
"It is not possible to make such a decision dependent on the regulations because they are constantly changing in our business," he is quoted by Auto Motor und Sport.
"We can expect a decision from the new entrants, especially since we have made great strides towards them."
It now emerges that Mercedes, Ferrari and Renault are demanding new limits on engine bench testing - which F1 managing director Ross Brawn suspects is blatant delay-tactics.
"If there is a cost cap, you don't have to worry about the number of test bench hours," he said. "If you invest more money there, you have to save elsewhere."
The existing engine manufacturers also reportedly want the material for engine pistons to be enshrined in the regulations as steel, with Porsche and Audi reportedly pushing for aluminium.
Mattia Binotto denies that Ferrari and its current rivals are simply trying to make life as difficult as possible for the VW brands.
"I think we need to clarify," said the Ferrari boss. "We are very positive about Audi and Porsche joining F1 and I think we've done whatever we could to make sure they are happy.
"We removed the MGU-H and we did it only to try to help them to join F1, even if removing it is something that for us is maybe not the best choice."
Binotto insists that the regulations delay is simply because "they are not ready yet".
"There are still open points and those open points simply need to be tackled and discussed and agreed," said the Italian.
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I think Honda pistons are made out of some special aviation material, obv more reliable than Steel so no wonder they are pushing for Steel, the rest of the story Yawn, heh but if fills the page up
Why would you regulate the used materials for the engines? Let those manufacturers figure it out what to use. There should be some freedom if you ask me.
Yupp difficult one, if you want competition between teams and drivers,, should all cars be of the same spec, meaning pu chassis, bodywork & streamlining being the same for each driver putting the onus on the driver Or do you let teams have a free for all and the teams with the most money produce a one off super dooper race car that solely depends on wild individual design that's sure to win every race. Yupp difficult.!!
I refer the honourable gentleman to the answer I gave a moment ago, what dyo want a Titanium conrod or a Steel one? ferrari must be using pig iron in there cars, hence the Ice failures
Toto and Curly want to stop them, should be interesting, Porsche 928 alloy block says it all
Liberty Media and the FIA have lost the plot!
F1 is supposed to be the pinnacle of design and engineering for motor cars, a test bed for cars of the future. Manufacturers should be able to use whatever material they choose for their engines, as long as they are within the engine capacity limits. Maybe they could make engines out of plasticine!
Liberty are getting mixed up with the karting regs!
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