'F1 has to get rid of people outside the sport who make fundamental decisions'

Formula 1 will lose one of its current four engine suppliers at the end of 2021 when Honda steps out of the sport. They've done that before, but in this case Red Bull Racing and AlphaTauri have the problem of having to find a new partner. That takes time, money and a lot of effort, and the question is of course with a new supplier whether the collaboration works well in practice.

New engine manufacturers in F1

So it can't hurt that more engine manufacturers are participating, but with the current power sources many manufacturers don't like it. The engines that are used now are so complex that it costs an awful lot of money and it works quite deterrent. That's the heart of the problem, says Ted Kravitz at Sky Sports F1.

"The current engines are so complicated and many people in the past have called them ridiculously and needlessly expensive. Those barriers have precluded an independent engine manufacturer being able to develop their own without someone just giving them half a billion pounds to get it done."

The solution? It will come later, in 2026 to be precise. Then new engine rules will come into force. "So do you kill two birds with one stone to make it both cheaper and viable for independents to come back in and go back to normally-aspirated V8s or V10s? To do that for 2026 would mean that there could be independents back out there," who might consider participating.

People are looking for the fight

The sound of Kravitz repeats Martin Brundle in his words. "The latest engines are incredibly impressive pieces of equipment and design. But when you start discussing thermal efficiency you can almost hear fans groaning about it when you talk about it on the television. They're not tuning in for thermal efficiency numbers, they're tuning in to see gladiators fighting wheel-to-wheel. Formula 1 has got to remember that."

An important point, because the average fan won't care what kind of power is used, it's about the fight. "We've definitely got to get back to a situation where there can be third-party suppliers and you're not just relying on a board of people that you'll never meet making fundamental decisions that impact on Formula 1," Brundle said.