Fred Vasseur responds to bold FIA president engine proposal
An FIA-selected engine for customers? Fred Vasseur has his doubts
While Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur says that “everything is possible,” he pondered over the feasibility of an FIA-selected independent engine supplier for customer teams.
That was a proposal made by FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem. Vasseur would not necessarily envisage problems for an independent manufacturer in building an engine, but questioned whether a sufficient performance level could be achieved.
Fred Vasseur has his say on FIA president engine concept
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In a Reuters interview last month, Ben Sulayem said that the FIA was contemplating the return of refuelling in Formula 1.
But perhaps more eye-catching was Ben Sulayem’s talk of an FIA-selected engine to be supplied to customer teams.
“There will be no control over the teams, A-team over the B-team, that’s supplied with their engines,” Ben Sulayem said.
“If it is affordable, then we will have one engine for the rest of the B-teams, so nobody can leverage them and tell them, ‘Vote this way, or we are not going to give you a good engine.’”
The regulations do require customer teams to be supplied the same level of power unit as used by the works team.
Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur was quizzed on Ben Sulayem’s proposal.
In addition to the works team, Haas and Cadillac also use the Ferrari power unit as customers.
Ben Sulayem is also pushing for the return of V8 engines, running on sustainable fuels with limited electrical influence.
“Everything is possible,” Vasseur told PlanetF1.com and others.
“If someone wants to do an engine today, they can.
“It’s a matter of performance. Sometimes we can imagine that to do a V8, it’s easier than something else.
“I don’t know if it is mega realistic.”
Vasseur does not believe that building a Formula 1 engine would stump independent manufacturers. He believes that the financial restraints imposed on development could be the sticking point.
In addition to a cost cap on the chassis side, power unit manufacturers are now also subject to a cap.
Internal combustion engine upgrade opportunities are determined by the FIA’s ADUO system.
Asked if this independent engine project would be too complex for a company like Cosworth to take on, Vasseur replied: “To build up the engine, it’s not complex.
“What is complex is the level of performance.
“If you think that with the cost cap, I think that this exercise is very difficult to be performant with the cost caps.”
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The five current F1 power unit manufacturers are Ferrari, Mercedes, Red Bull-Ford, Honda and Audi.
Additional reporting by Thomas Maher
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