F1 Head of Strategy outlines routes to a lower carbon automotive industry

Red Bull do not yet have an engine supplier for 2022, which makes their future in Formula 1 uncertain. Honda will stop being a supplier after the 2021 season. However, there is some hope for Red Bull after comments from the head of strategy of Formula 1, Yath Gangakumaran. 

What does Red Bull want?

The team would like to continue with the Honda engine on the condition that the regulations remain as they are from the end of 2021. This will save Red Bull an incredible amount of money, time and knowledge because Red Bull do not have the departments that can develop an engine, or build a recording. Mercedes agreed with this proposal and it seems that the two other engine suppliers Renault and Ferrari are also open to the idea.

The possibility has now increased again because Gangakumaran has indicated that they will continue to run hybrid engines in Formula 1 for the time being and only want to switch to an alternative, such as biofuel, from 2025 onwards.

No biofuel yet

Gangakumaran told Motorsport.com, among others, that they will continue to use hybrid engines for the time being. That is good news for Red Bull because building an engine that runs on biofuel would be incredibly expensive, and that would not be worth the effort for the Austrian team. Now they can continue to focus on the Honda engine.

In the future, however, they would like to focus on other renewable fuels. “We believe that there will be several routes to a lower carbon automotive industry, and we want to be associated with one we think will not just have a major impact positively on the automotive industry, but also will support our objectives as a sport that's looking to entertain fans around the world," said Formula One's Head of Strategy.

Gangakumaran continued: “Yes, everyone's talking about electric and hydrogen. And we have looked into that, as part of our next generation engine, which will come in in five years' time. But they really don't have the performance characteristics we need as the pinnacle of motorsport, to allow our cars to go at the speeds we want and the distances we require around our tracks.”