You need to be logged in to your Sky Poker account above to post discussions and comments.
You might need to refresh your page afterwards.
Honda to leave F1 at the end of 2021
This is quite something, that leaves just three engine suppliers in F1 & leaves Red Bull without an engine deal. I'm guessing the 'phones will be red hot already.
Bump in the road for F1, or a serious blow?
@peter27
Bump in the road for F1, or a serious blow?
@peter27
Comments
Force IndiaRacing Point and Williams because they know that both of those teams aren't really competing to take race wins away from Mercedes. Similarly, Ferrari are supplying engines to Haas and Alfa Romeo. If a customer team starts beating the works team, they're not going to keep supplying engines to that team (since it makes the works team look bad, and what they make from selling engines is lost in prize money).Therefore, losing an engine supplier means even fewer teams that will be able to compete at the front of the grid as a result.
I don't want to see only two or three teams capable of winning races or locking out the podium while the likes of Ricciardo, Norris and Verstappen are languishing in the midfield because the engine manufacturers won't supply engines to teams if they feel like they'll beat their works team.
From the manufacturer's perspective, I think it highlights a bigger issue within F1 right now - The cost of producing the massively complicated F1 power units we currently have isn't worth it for most of the potential suppliers. Additionally, F1 is locked in to using the current 1.6L V6 turbo hybrids until the end of 2025.
It's awful for the sport in the medium term. Whether it's a 'bump in the road or a serious blow' depends what they do with the 2026 engine regulations to attract new engine suppliers as a result.
That could leave a Renault engine up for grabs.
Red Bull might have to do some grovelling to get it.
Verstappen might not stick around and try to get the other Mercedes car when the Honda deal expires.
Would Hamilton want his nearest challenger in the same car?
Verstappen in, Hamilton retires, maybe?
peter27 - he of the "Determined Poker Player" Diary - is a F1 Serious Head, & Tweeted this;
In 2022, Red Bull need to find a new engine supplier. Ferrari and Mercedes will not want to supply to a potential title-contending rival, which only leaves Renault. Renault will also not want to supply them given their previous breakdown in relations. However, there is a provision in the regulations which stipulates that should a team be unable to sign a contract for engine purchases, then the existing F1 engine supplier who support the fewest teams are obligated to supply the team without a contract - and that would be Renault.
Long-term Red Bull will be looking to source from elsewhere, but I doubt they will be able to attract a new engine supplier into F1 during the current economic climate, which leaves them only one option - producing engines themselves. This has been hinted at by Helmut Marko before, but there is no way they would be able to do this by 2022. That's why my conclusion is Renault engines for 2022 - possibly badged as something else like Tag Heuer or Alpine - followed by Red Bull engines in 2023.
We have new car specifications coming for 2022, and this disruption is not going to do Red Bull's title chances any favours at all. Let alone 2023 when, if my theory comes true, they will be trying to develop their own engine from scratch and therefore likely to be some way off the pace for a few years.
The person I feel most sorry for in all this is Japanese F2 driver Yuki Tsunoda. He's part of the Red Bull Driver Academy due to his Honda sponsorship. The supply termination between Honda & Red Bull potentially threatens that status. Although, he's quick enough anyway, so will eventually get to F1 even without Red Bull backing I expect.