Like I said, this story is very loosed based on trued events. The true evens probably being that Ferrari and Renault also worked with the FIA or something
Not sure if this has been posted yet: please log in to view this image Apparently Spa plan on keeping these at Eau Rouge for all events. I bet they're gone by the start of FP2, Charlie and the drivers won't be happy with those.
This sounds like a drinks company is strongly behind this and Bernie... Maybe Bernie is drinking some energy drinks to keep up with the opposite sex ... even if it is in his mind... but seriously Bernie and the drinks company seem to be in unison a lot recently. From what I am hearing all teams were asked to participate... it was not something that was secretly offered to Mercedes... so what's all this crap now? I think some of these old guys need to just go relax and let some intelligent younger people run F1. Maybe Bernie thinks that more people will show interest in F1 if he coughs up some controversy every other week.
I think this whole story was just an example of clever PR/Bernie mischievousness. It provides a diversion from things he'd prefer people took less interest in (which may concern Giedo van der Garde, for instance). Mercedes are the easy (public and journalistic) target, since they are clearly the class of the field. The other engine manufacturers know what occurred and that there is nothing in this story which is designed to suggest (to the public, via the machinery of journalism) that Mercedes were provided with advantage from the FIA. Nonsense. Although Mercedes supported the move to the new power unit concept, Renault were in right from the start and I believe were first to fully embrace the concept. The only resistance was from Ferrari, but so far as I am aware, all power unit manufacturers were privy to all of the information available, at all times. No team was favoured. Mercedes just knuckled-down to the future quicker and more effectively than its competitors. Unless I'm very much mistaken, this is a total 'non-story'!
Page 14, September 2011 Under-pressure FIA adopts V6 engine rules Under-pressure FIA adopts V6 engine rules The battle of wills over the future Formula 1 engine rules between Jean Todt on one side and Bernie Ecclestone and the teams on the other has ended in compromise, with both the engine format and the date of its introduction changed. Instead of introducing inline-four turbos in 2013, the sport will now switch to V6 turbo power in 2014, giving the existing V8s two more years of life. The focus on fuel consumption and an expansion of energy recovery technologies such as KERS will remain. The new 1.6-litre engines will have a 15,000rpm limit, Even though all parties had agreed to the original rules, confirmed in December last year, teams and engine manufacturers had since had second thoughts. Ecclestone added to the debate when he complained consistently that the engines would not sound exciting enough, although many observers regarded his vocal opposition as part of a bigger political game with Todt. The FIA president had insisted the rules would not be changing, although he left the door open by saying he would listen to the arguments. Justifying the change, the governing body said the move to a V6 and a higher rev limit has created a bigger challenge for engine makers to meet unchanged fuel consumption requirements. The manufacturers are happier with the V6 formula, not least Ferrari. Chairman Luca di Montezemolo said the inline-four was of no interest to Ferrari, and while it doesn't have a V6 in its current model range, the format does have a history at Maranello. Company sources haven't ruled out a V6 turbo road car in the future. " Clearly there has been a lot of discussion about the future of engines and it is healthy now for Fl to point forward to 2014 having all parties agreed to the new regulations," said McLaren's Martin Whitmarsh. "There was some desire to increase the number of cylinders, to increase the rpm, to stipulate a single turbo, and all those measures were about enhancing the sound. "Everyone is aware, and we have made sure that the engineers developing these regulations are aware, that the very visceral engine notes are important to Fl." "Fl ended up making the right decision," said Red Bull's Christian Homer. "The V6 is a far better engine to install in a car. Hopefully they will sound great." No customer teams have confirmed deals for the turbo era — indeed for many 2013 is still up for negotiation — and it remains to be seen whether Renault can still supply four teams in the new era. As for the independent suppliers, Cosworth is down to just Virgin and HRT for 2012, but the company is adamant that it is excited about the V6 format and will be ready to compete. Craig Pollock, who is trying to get his new PURE company off the ground, was frustrated by the delay. He insists that not only would he have had a four cylinder ready for 2013, but that he could have readied a V6 in the same timespan. Adam Cooper
