Talks to decide the 2021 Formula 1 engine regulations are in the final straight after Mercedes made a key concession during the Monaco GP weekend.
A meeting between teams and F1 bosses took place on the Friday ‘rest day’ in Monte Carlo and in that the German manufacturer agreed to accept the loss of the MGU-H part of the current power unit, one of Liberty Media’s main goals.
“We think the [replacement] technology is a step backwards but in terms of achieving compromise for the benefit of the spectacle, the revs going up, the fuel limitations going – I think we will have a louder engine, we will not be so limited by fuel,” Motorsport boss Toto Wolff explained.
“It’s not the most sustainable message we are sending out but we can understand from a spectacle standpoint it is something you need to consider and accept.”
It didn’t come without some confrontation between the Austrian and the other parties, however, with Toto revealing one such moment.
“I had a bit of a moment in the Strategy Group,” he said. “I had one major one where I needed to speak to my anger management psychologist when we talked about getting rid of all fuel-flow limitations that we have, all fuel allowances and just completely open it up from the get-go now.
“I think we cannot close our eyes to what’s happening in the world. Hybrid energy recovery systems happen on road cars, they need to happen in Formula One in my opinion, but equally, we have to understand what the fan is interested in.”
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Mercedes’ decision also seems to have resulted in an agreement in what the 2021 engine formula will be, with Wolff claiming the only sticking points were in other areas.
“On the engine regulations we are pretty close to be able to tick the box but the only major thing which we need to solve is spending and how to avoid spending double over the next couple of years by developing the current engine and the new one.”
A final proposal is set to be put forward by the FIA in June by which time it is likely an agreement will have been reached.
