diffuser wrote: ↑30 Oct 2020, 21:10
Wouter wrote: ↑30 Oct 2020, 14:42
Speaking to Gazzetta dello Sport, he declared: "We are firmly against freezing power units as it is against the spirit of F1.
"I think it is important to emphasise that the current rules already provide for freezing in 2023. Plus, F1 has ambitious goals in terms of sustainability.
"Already from 2022, the regulations provide for the introduction of a fuel with a 10 percent ethanol content, but the FIA wants to reach 100 per cent as soon as possible: ideally the following year.
"This inevitably involves the development of some engine components. It is a very complicated subject, and we are actively talking about it with all the parties involved."
https://it.motorsport.com/f1/news/renau ... =widget-22
Abiteboul, is Renault now for or against the freezing of engines in F1?
"It's a good question. If you had asked me six months ago we would have pushed hard for an even lower budget cap, to try to keep chassis costs down, but also to reduce those related to the engine by accepting freezing. But Red Bull Racing and Honda were against it and we accepted it. We continued on a different path. "
"Since then we have been very busy working on the 2022 engine platform. So if you ask me today what I think about engine freezing, my position is obviously different from what I had 6 months ago.
I am against engine freezing, we have no intention of stopping what could be a very important platform for us. We don't accept that. "
"Now we have to talk to find a solution for the engines of the future in the medium-long term also from the point of view of the sustainability of the new power units. We are in favor of talking about medium-long term plans for the engines of the future, but certainly not about the freezing of power units ".
It's obvious why Renault and Ferrari are against the freeze. They're both moving to split turbo layouts, and they're not confident they can develop their power units to a satisfactory level if the freeze happens in 2022.
Because even if they make a reliable power unit, they will be able to make architecture improvements, which will translate into chassis improvements. By freezing the power unit development, they can't improve their packaging. The cooling requirements are directly related to how hot you can run the power units. The radiators comprise a big part of the overall drag of the car. So power unit developments and chassis developments are tied together.
This becomes even more important for the new aero regulations because the aero is so restricted, that bigger aero gains come from packaging improvements. Fine tuning aero will yield results, but packaging improvements will yield bigger results earlier on, and give you more aero potential which you can fine tune. It will also lock in your advantage because if you start the year with the best packaged power unit, you will start the season with the car that has the most aero potential. The power unit is locked for the year, you will be at a disadvantage ALL season because of any packaging deficiencies.
