Parked! Red Bull's Formula One team is considering pulling out of the series due to recent rule changes.
Formula One could lose one of its strongest teams. At least that’s the threat being leveled by managers of the Red Bull team who feel recent rule changes were “the wrong solution” for the wildly popular racing series.
It’s by no means the first time F1 has faced the threat of a walkout by one or more teams. There were threats of a coup by some of the biggest players in the series a decade ago, but cooler heads – and the willpower of Formula One chief Bernie Ecclestone – eventually prevailed.
But this time, the concerns of Red Bull carry more weight considering other teams – and many fans – have also expressed frustration at rule changes that impacted the engines those exotic racers rely on.
Red Bull led the Formula One grid for much of the decade, winning four back-to-back world championships before slipping into also-ran status last year. Mercedes-Benz took the championship in 2014 and looks to dominate again this time around.
The shift in leadership comes as rules changes led to a complete engine transformation. The cars are still rocket fast, but many fans have complained about the lack of the classic F1 roar as they race by.
The more serious concern is that only two teams have a chance at now being competitive. And Red Bull fears it isn’t one of them – not after its disappointing performance at the Australian Grand Prix over the weekend where one of its cars didn’t even land on the grid.
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“These power units are the wrong solution for F1, and we would say this even if (we) were in the lead,” lamented Helmut Marko, who oversees things for Red Bull chief Dietrich Mateschitz.
“We will evaluate the situation again as every year and look into costs and revenues,” said Marko. “If we are totally dissatisfied we could contemplate an F1 exit.”
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The threat of departure by Red Bull has drawn a mixed response. Mercedes’ driver – and Australian winner Lewis Hamilton – declared on Sunday that he would beat anyone no matter what car he was driving.
But F1 boss Ecclestone attempted to sound a somewhat conciliatory note, suggesting Red Bull’s concerns “are absolutely 100% right.” He added that, “We need to change things a little bit now and try and level things up a little bit. We should support the FIA to make changes.”
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Whether that will happen remains to be seen. But the current, lopsided nature of the F1 grid could force some action – especially if series planners also want to keep fans happy.
This is just posturing by Red Bull to get help with the weak performing Renault engine. What’s rather obvious is that the Red Bull junior team, Toro Rosso is actually doing better than the Red Bull senior team and they are both using the same Renault F1 engine.
There are no real issues with the current F1 engine format other than some people take issue with the lower exhaust noise that no longer causes your ears to bleed. The new hybrid power units are very sophisticated and allow engineers to push the development envelop to learn what is possible for production autos.
Mercedes developed a better hybrid power unit which combines the internal combustion engine with energy recovery systems and as such the Mercedes powered cars are very fast. Ferrari was down on power last year but they seem to have developed more power over the Winter. Renault says their issues are more engine mapping to improve drivability.
As a long-time fan of F1, I must say that I am about to depart the sport. Watching the race in Australia was a joke. The Mercedes had at least seven tenths of a second over the field last year. This year it is well over a second. And that is with Mercedes sandbagging at every stage. Witness the race in Melbourne; Hamilton qualified with a 1min 27 second run, but was only lapping 1min31secs at the close of the race. If they ran their full potential they could lap every competitor in the field, every race. Absurd! And what is more absurd is that no one is allowed to develop their engine, nor test the engine-chassis for improved times? So what is left? We watch Mercedes take every race win with 4 or 5 seconds per lap in hand, while everyone else struggles to finish on the same lap? Well, I for one am not going to invest the time in a one sided sport that refuses to allow the teams to find a competitive edge. F1 has become a laughing stock, and I am not going to spend another minute thinking about it. Signing off NOW!
Steve-
Thankfully viewers have a lot of choices these days so if they dislike one entertainment option they can seek something different.
In regards to F1, it is a constructor’s series intended to advance technology. The rules are structured so that there is an even playing field. Obviously Mercedes has done a better job with their designs and engineering than the others so far, but that can and is likely to change over time.
While I agree in-season testing is too limited, that was agreed to because the less funded F1 teams feel this is a cost savings option for them. In the big scheme of life only those with the proper resources should be racing in F1 which is the pinnacle of motorsport. It’s not designed for those who lack extensive resources.
As far as engine updates go both Ferrari and Renault have made improvements for 2015. They have a limited number of FIA “tokens” to be used as they see fit to allow for engine upgrades. Ferrari has made a significant step forward with their cars while Renault has made a minor improvement in their engines but they need far greater improvement to be a top contender.