Finalised engine proposals nearing 'end'

FIA racing director Charlie Whiting has claimed that the current plans and proposals to change engine regulations for the 2021 season onwards are nearing 'the end', but denied reports the July deadline was put in place in order for teams to discuss the changes at the World Motor Sport Council meeting.

Liberty Media and the FIA are planning drastic engine changes ahead of the 2021 Formula One campaign, and although the proposals aren't yet finalised, Whiting insists conversations are close to an agreement.

“It’s very complicated,” said the F1 race director.

“There’s meeting after meeting after meeting going on these things, and the reports I get on this appear to be very detailed, so they are going into fine detail.

“So I’m fairly confident that it’s getting to the end of that process, and at the end of that process, we’ll have a far more detailed idea of what the power units will be in 2021.”

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The plans will reportedly make the playing field more level among the constructor team due to a standardisation of engines - something which not everyone is happy about, most notably Ferrari and Mercedes management.

Teams will have the opportunity to discuss the plans at the upcoming World Motor Sport Council meeting, but Whiting says the deadline for the proposals being finalised was not decided with the meeting in mind.

“Not necessarily. It was just a date that we felt that was necessary to get it done by,” he said.

“It might get talked about, but it’s not connected with the Strategy Group. The manufacturers are involved in it, that’s why it’s taking quite a long time because they are to-ing and fro-ing on everything.”