Engine freeze: we take the same and start over
The FIA has approved the freeze of current engines until the next power unit revision cycle, around 2025-2026. The Honda engine will therefore remain on the grid with Red Bull and AlphaTauri.
Issued by Red Bull this autumn following the announcement of Honda’s withdrawal as an engine supplier at the end of 2022, the proposal for an engine freeze was unanimously approved today by the high authorities of F1.
If initially Red Bull’s request had been poorly received by the Austrian brand’s rivals, Ferrari later reconsidered, and today’s vote confirms that the other teams have as well.
This allows Red Bull to breathe easy as they can continue relying on the Honda engine for at least three more years. Although the Japanese brand is officially withdrawing as an engine supplier, everything suggests that Red Bull will acquire the intellectual property related to Honda’s engine technologies.
Christian Horner will therefore not have to choose, as seemed logical for a few months, the much-maligned Renault engine, to support his race for titles from 2022 to 2025. This thus helps maintain the plurality of engines. Renault finds itself in the paradoxical situation of being involved in F1 with its own team, renamed Alpine, but with fewer teams using its engines than Honda, which will officially no longer be involved.
For other engine manufacturers, this advanced freeze will help reduce expenses in this area before preparing for the new regulations.
