Mercedes boss, Toto Wolff has warned the sport against balancing the performance of engines in a bid to appease Alpine.

At the recent meeting of the F1 Commission it was confirmed that in terms of engine equalisation, over the first half of the season there was one manufacturer clearly down on its rivals.

This followed (then) Alpine team boss Otmar Szafnauer's claim that the French manufacturer's unit was "significantly down", indeed by as much as 20 - 33 bhp, on its rivals.

Though the current rules are in place until 2025, Alpine called for equalization of performance, a move which got the support of Red Bull's Christian Horner.

"It is about seeing what are the deficits," he said, according to Motorsport.com. "The FIA have all of the data and they should present exactly what the differences are.

"I think that would be fascinating for everybody to see," he added, "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."

Days later the F1 Commission agreed to give a mandate to the Power Unit Advisory Committee to consider the call and report its proposals.

In reaction to the F1 Commission's decision, interim Alpine boss, Bruno Famin reinforced the need for the move. "The engine is a bit behind for sure," he said. "It's a fact that the engine is in a frozen period, and we cannot develop performance."

However, Toto Wolff believes that such a move would be a disaster for the sport, claiming that it would amount to a 'success penalty' for the other manufacturers and could prove catastrophic for F1.

"Entertainment follows sport, and why the sport is so credible is because you have just got to work hard to be successful," Wolff tells Motorsport.com.

"If you're falling back as an engine supplier, and your engine isn't as performant as others, that's obviously everybody's problem," he adds. "But at the same time, with a frozen engine, we don't want to lose out on giving someone opportunities.

"But it needs to be done in a meritocratic way," he warns. "And, for that, we have a rule in the 2026 power unit regulations that if one power unit will drop out of 3% below the top power unit, then the teams would sit down in good faith and debate what could be done.

"And once we have a common understanding of what the lack of performance is, we need to discuss how much more dyno hours and development jokers can be given. And that is something that we are to debate.

"But touching any kind of fuel flow, or BOP (balance of performance), is a catastrophe and bankruptcy declaration for F1," he insists. "It should never even be talked about."

At Ferrari, Frederic Vasseur agrees, sort of.

"It's true that when we decided to freeze the engine we considered that in exceptional circumstances we could try to find a way to support the guy who would be completely out of the range," said the Frenchman. "But I'm not sure that Renault is so far away. We don't have the same numbers as Renault."

Should the move get the green light however, Vasseur is adamant that tweaking fuel flow should not be seen as a solution, Ferrari, of course, having history in this particular area.

"If we have to do something, it can't be fuel flow," he said. "We have the same approach with the wind tunnel allocation. The guy who is P10 in the championship has more time in the wind tunnel. It's not that he has 10 kilos less weight.

"You allow the team or the PU manufacturer to develop, and you don't give him an advantage. That I think would be the start of the balance of performance."

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READERS COMMENTS

1. Posted by RP, 14/08/2023 13:17

"F1 has always been attractive to me because of the diversity of approaches in meeting the regulations. When regulations are fixed for a few years, the gap between fastest and slowest slowly has come down as car development is still allowed. I was disappointed when engine development was "frozen" because the gap between engine performance would remain constant over the period of no development.
Most important, is the argument that F1 development provides manufacturers data applicable to their road cars. Since road cars don't have DRS and limited aero oppertunities since the cabin still needs to hold 2-7 people, engine advances that may be found through F1 development are also potentially "frozen".
If F1 becomes a "spec" race, you can contract the engines to one manufacturer which would ensure equality. No fun in that."

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2. Posted by kenji, 10/08/2023 13:00

"@ Defiant....re your analysis. F1 already has a documented set formula for the construction of the cars albeit with some latitude in some areas. Teams already build [supposed] identical cars for their drivers. The drivers can then set the cars up according to their individual needs and wants within the parameters of the original build.I do believe that there is a case for a 'formula libre' approach but that won't happen for quite obvious reasons. Drivers cannot be equalised. That's why they are unique and the points score and their remuneration reflect that. F2 does a very good job of it all and the series provides many thrilling races that are fastly becoming somewhat of a rarity in F1 these days.
Finally I still find it difficult to comprehend your reluctance towards watching the races live yet you are quite happy to enter into much dialogue after the event! Each to his own but iIMO it just doesn't add up. Have a nice week end and 'vive la difference'."

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3. Posted by kenji, 09/08/2023 23:55

"@Defiant....Thanks for your response. Whilst I am working up a 'full enchillada riposte' let me just start off by saying that if we are going to utilise labels then one of the many synonyms for "defiant' is 'contrary'. .....?"

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4. Posted by Defiant, 09/08/2023 15:23

"Sorry kenji, but I've said it before and this post pretty much solidifies my opinion that you're a contrarian. I don't believe for one minute that you truly believe that equalising everything but the driver is anything but bad for F1.

The lower formulas have a reasonable argument for standardisation (I don't agree, but I accept the argument) in that they are ultimately stepping stones up to F1. Standardisation shows staff talent and particularly driving talent without the argument that he only won cause of the car (an argument that people use and have used for years if their unliked driver is winning) but the pinnacle of the sport isn't just about drivers it's about designers, engineers, management, strategists, etc etc. I'm not happy that we have a control tyre, or a cost cap quite frankly, as I want F1 to push the boundaries everywhere not just driving. Let's face it, even the drivers that are squeezing out the last drops are just getting slapped down by the stewards more and more. All of these reasons are why I've stopped watching F1 live. The biggest risk for surprise happens after the race these days when everyone else is on a plane going home."

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5. Posted by kenji, 09/08/2023 1:17

"You can, for all intents and purposes, ultimately equalise everything other than the driver. Vive la difference."

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6. Posted by ARL, 08/08/2023 19:08

"If you equalise the engines , then the only differentiator will be........

Adrian Newey. What odds on Verstappen winning the next 10 championships?"

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7. Posted by BrightonCorgi, 08/08/2023 11:51

"F1 is not a spec series. Renault needs to figure it out."

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8. Posted by equator180, 07/08/2023 22:00

"Maybe in 10 years the cars will be operated by a remote operator or a mechanized driver like the camel jockey robots, no end to ti.."

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9. Posted by ZJAY, 07/08/2023 20:12

"After tire equalization, cost cap, and parts standardization, what did you expect?"

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Engine equalisation a "catastrophe" for F1, warns Wolff

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