10/10/2017
NEWS STORY
According to Auto Motor und Sport, Liberty Media will reveal the 2021 engine rules on 21 October, with the first framework of the proposed budget cap to be revealed a week later on 7 November.
The engine rules have been the focus of discussions for some time and the direction in which the sport heads from 2021 could decide whether manufacturers such as Porsche and Cosworth return to the sport, both having attended meetings of the Power Unit Working Group.
The complexity of the current power units has driven up costs and as a result would-be manufacturers are looking for less complex engines and reduced costs, while (some) teams, are seeking alternative suppliers to the current four.
In terms of fans, the current formula, introduced in 2014, though a masterpiece in terms of technology and reliability - unless your name is Honda - have been a let down, particularly in terms of noise. That said, it is understood Ross Brawn has found a solution, albeit a microphone placed in the exhaust.
The initial proposal in terms of the budget cap will also be interesting with Liberty Media seeking to level the playing field and thereby give the likes of Force India and Haas and the other smaller teams the opportunity to win races.
However, the bigger teams have made no secret of the fact that they are not happy about such a move.
In the wake of recent criticism of the Strategy Group, there is talk of it being scrapped and more emphasis placed on the technical team that has been put together by Ross Brawn, the technical boss of Formula One.
Worryingly however, this suggests that the drawing up of the rules and regulations for the sport are moving away from the FIA and towards the sport's owners, which surely at some stage creates a conflict of interest as they are likely to want a formula that creates the best show commercially - as in four or five drivers fighting for the title up until the last lap of the last race - as opposed to the best sport.
While on the surface all looks smooth at the moment, one cannot help but feel that the sport is heading for a watershed in the next couple of years, as 2020 sees the end of the current Concorde Agreement.
Up until now, the relationship between the teams and the sport's new owners has been good, but as Liberty attempts to take the sport forward and the teams begin to flex their muscles, Chase Carey is going to discover exactly why Bernie Ecclestone needed his dictatorial approach.
Indeed, it is interesting that while Singapore and China have agreed new contracts, they are for 4 and 3 years respectively, effectively taking them up to that all-important 2020/2021 timeline.
It's as if everyone knows that there's a storm heading towards the paddock.