In the midst of the engine manufacturers’ war, Horner wants to return to V8s

Christian Horner calls for a return to naturally aspirated V8 engines instead of the current V6 Turbo hybrid engines that appeared this season and whose regulations ensure their presence in F1 until the 2020 season.

The criticisms against the new blocks introduced in 2014 were numerous, starting with the overriding issue of the costs they generated, but also the freeze on development during the season and, of course, their sound.

« Nobody likes to go back, but sometimes you have to open your eyes, » stated the Red Bull director for Autosport. « Desperate situations call for desperate measures and if you look at the costs of these power units, how can this be viable for all the teams and, obviously, all the engine manufacturers? »

For him, it is very clear that Formula 1 made a mistake by implementing this new regulation: « Sometimes, you have to raise your hand and say that we were wrong. I think with the engine regulations, the people involved got it wrong. It’s not only that we have an immensely expensive engine, we have an engine on which very limited development is possible, so all you’re going to do is freeze the advantage we currently see. »

« Theoretically, the right thing to do is to establish a window for the manufacturers behind to catch up if you really want to control costs. But that wouldn’t be fair to Mercedes, and if you open it, you have to open it for all competitors. So, we will have a Mercedes domination for the lifespan of these engines. »

Mercedes has already indicated that it is not open to reconsidering the engine freeze. Even though Toto Wolff, the executive director of the brand, had explained that there was a possibility to make up to 13 modifications in July 2015, the German engine manufacturer rejected it during a working meeting at Interlagos, considering that the cost implications for them and their customers were too significant. The compromise proposed in return (a maximum of 5 modifications in July) was rejected by Renault, Ferrari, and Honda.

Christian Horner believes that the costs of turbo hybrid engines have precipitated both the shutdown of Marussia and Caterham’s administration: « Teams cannot bear the burden of additional costs, whether large or small. Unfortunately, the costs of these power units have already led two teams to exit, and that’s a significant factor. »

He nonetheless acknowledges that his proposal to return to V8s is complicated to implement: « I think it’s extremely unlikely, but if we were rational about this, then we should [consider it]. »

Reflecting, the teams not having a Mercedes engine block for 2015 are working on it, with the intention to act in the little time remaining before the next meeting of the F1 Commission – the body that approves regulatory changes before they are submitted to the World Motor Sport Council and is composed of all stakeholders in the discipline – which will take place at the end of the month.

A hypothesis mentioned by *Autosport* is that Mercedes’ rival engine manufacturers and their customer teams are waiting for 2016, after which unanimity will no longer be necessary to change the regulations. « I think it’s the only option because, with the majority vote, the 2016-2017-2018 regulations can be changed. So we will have to suffer in 2015 before revisiting things in 2016-2017-2018, which is ridiculous. We will all end up spending much more money over a longer period. »

Such an argument could be used—at least by Ferrari and Renault, as Honda claimed that the hybrid turbo challenge was the reason for its return—as a means of pressure on the star brand, which could itself risk its participation in Formula 1. « It’s more than frustrating because you sit down and talk about things, » said Toto Wolff in Interlagos. « You leave the room thinking you’ve agreed on something, and then it changes. It’s a ridiculous situation not being able to find a solution, and I have no idea what’s going to happen. »

A sort of balance of terror on the scale of F1, in sum.