Formula 1 is bringing an engine development freeze from 2022 onwards. F1 presented this proposal at the F1 Commission meeting on the 11th of Feb. The proposal had complete agreement from all representatives. At the meeting, there were representatives from Formula 1, the FIA, the 10 teams and the engine manufacturers. All of them agreed to bring the development freeze forward a year. The engine development freeze was going to take place from 2023 – 2024, but now it will start in 2022.
There were also discussions related to the engine formula change for 2025. I will go through the details of this engine formula 1 change later on in this post. To read about the previous Formula 1 engine eras, read the post linked below.
READ MORE: All The Formula 1 Engine Eras – An F1ntastic Original Infographic.
This engine development freeze will benefit all teams because it will save them massive amounts of money. In 2022, a major regulation change will occur. The chassis and the aerodynamics of the F1 cars will face major changes. This big regulation change means that teams will spend loads of money developing this completely new car. So to make things easier for the teams and the engine manufacturers, Formula 1 has preponed the engine freeze. It has been several months since talks of this freeze started.
READ MORE: All About Honda Exiting F1 In 2022 – Formula 1 News Roundup
However, none of the teams will benefit from this engine freeze as much as Red Bull and AlphaTauri. Honda is not going to supply engines to F1 after the end of the 2021 F1 Season. But this engine development freeze has allowed Red Bull to take over Honda’s F1 engine technology. Before, Red Bull and AlphaTauri would have to buy engines from Renault. For more info, read the post about how Red Bull have taken over Honda F1 Engines from 2022 onwards.
Back to the engine freeze, this is the statement from the F1 Commission: “In a significant development for the sport that reflects the unity and collaborative spirit between the FIA, Formula 1 and the teams, a vote on the freeze of Power Unit development was undertaken during the meeting, and the proposal was unanimously agreed by all teams and Power Unit Manufacturers. As such, engine development will be frozen from the start of 2022.”.
The 2025 Power Unit Goals – Sustainability and Cost Reduction
The next major engine regulation change is coming in 2025. This will make the current V6 Turbo-Hybrid engine era the same length as the 10-year 3.0-litre V10 F1 engine era. For those of you who don’t know, the V6 Turbo-hybrid era started in 2014. As I mentioned earlier, to learn more about the F1 engine eras, read our post about it.
Along with the 2022 Engine Freeze, the F1 Commission discussed the 2025 Engine Formula Goals. This all-new engine formula will have major differences from the current formula while having some similarities. The key objectives for the 2025 Power Unit are:
- Environmental Sustainability and social and automotive relevance
- Fully sustainable fuel
- Creating a powerful and emotive Power Unit
- Significant cost reduction
- Attractiveness to new Power Unit manufacturers
This will be a big step forward since the current PU is not nearly as sustainable as the 2025 PU is going to be. In their statement the F1 Commission said the following about this Power Unit:
“A high-level working group has been established including current and potential Power Unit manufacturers and fuel suppliers.
“The definition of the objectives for the next generation of an F1 car and Power Unit is of the utmost importance to the FIA and Formula 1, and together with teams and Power Unit manufacturers, there is strong alignment on the overall goals – particularly the need to reduce cost and reach carbon neutrality.”
This post proves that Formula 1 is looking ahead to a bright, sustainable future. I can’t wait to see how this plays out, and I’m sure you can’t wait too. Let me know in the comments below, do you think that Formula 1 will achieve what they are aiming for in the future? Stay safe, and stay on the lookout for new posts!
