Autosport revealed over the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend that the idea of introducing a mechanism to equalise power units among the manufacturers has been tabled by the FIA for discussion at this week’s meeting of the F1 Commission.
It is understood that the move has been prompted by concerns that the Renault engine, which is used by Alpine, has fallen behind rivals and could be as much as 30hp down on the best.
While not confirming any figures, Alpine team principal Otmar Szafnauer has admitted that the French manufacturer is adrift of the opposition – which is hampering its competitive fortunes.
“All the teams do the same analysis and the FIA does its analysis,” he said when asked about how his engine stacked up against the opposition. “We are significantly down.”
Although teams do not like handing performance gains to rivals, the situation surrounding equalisation during a power unit freeze is a different matter.
With Renault unable to make any improvements to its power units because the current engines are homologated, the situation is slightly unfair to anyone who finds themselves behind.
That is why Red Bull boss Horner thinks that, if the FIA can show that there is disparity between the engines, then it is only right that moves are made to put everyone on a level playing field.
Asked by Autosport what he thought about the engine equalisation situation, Horner said: “It is about seeing what are the deficits. The FIA has all of the data and they should present exactly what the differences are.
“I think that would be fascinating for everybody to see, and I think that if there is a deficit under homologation, then it's something that we should be sensible about - otherwise, you're locked in for two years. I wouldn't be averse to a sensible discussion.”
Source: Autosport