Renault against freezing engine regulations

According to Renault, it is now too late to apply a freeze on engine regulations from 2022. This news comes after increasing support for Red Bull Racing's plan.

Red Bull want to freeze engine regulations as they look to take over Honda's engine when the Japanese manufacturer leave at the end of 2021. Mercedes are reportedly keen on the freeze, but Renault are not sure.

Renault's Marcin Budkowski says his team does not think the freeze is coming at the right time. "The regulations as they stand now, until they are amended, will be with very limited development from 2023 onwards. It almost looks like a freeze, because from 2023 there will be no development allowed on ICE and ERS. And there will be new regulations in 2026," he says to Motorsport.com.

"I think there is a lot of talk about anticipating this regulation by a year, which I think could be useful for Formula 1 if we find the right regulation. And then I would say that at some point in 2022 you have to freeze. Well, when it is the end of 2022 or mid-22, it is all up for discussion. So, you know we are on the same line. It is a position we have always defended. But, you know, we cannot say that we are going to freeze now from 2021, for example, it is too late. You know, we have been developing and the engine programmes have a certain life cycle," says Budkowski.