F1 | Single-seaters still at the pits, but the first threats appear. New arrivals on the grid?

The season of Formula 1 hasn’t started yet, but the first threats of desertion have already appeared. The heart of the matter is always the same: the Power-unit. After last year’s soap opera regarding the engine supply at Red Bull Racing solved through a renewal with Renault signed by Tag-Heuer (after the refusal received by Mercedes and Ferrari and the first breach in the agreement with the French manufacturer), Dietrich Mateschitz has returned to the fray “Without a competitive power-unit we will leave F1”.

In 2017, we expect radical changes regarding every manufacturer who will have to supply from a minimum of two to a maximum of three teams. So far, there are four suppliers in F1, but the situation for someone of them is far from being serene. “At Honda, even if they show calmness, the mood is everything but relaxed. Extraordinary scenarios could manifest. Alonso himself doesn’t seem really relaxed, even if Ron Dennis strives to stress that Fernando has an agreement also for the next two seasons”, Gian Carlo Minardi comments. “Moreover, Audi declared that it won’t enter the Circus until it has stable rules”.They are not the only ones to think that way.

The announcements of number 1 of the Austrian group could open new scenarios. “They could seem presumptuous, but they are the measure of the sponsorship in F1. Nowadays, we have colorful cars, but they have not many adhesives. Red Bull goes on thanks to the coming back of its image. Without some winnings, all this goes missing because the initial investment is too high”.
Paolo Barilla, in the exclusive interview released to Minardi.it, has claimed: “Right now F1 is not a good investment for a company. Formula 1 is an outdated model because it has not been able to renew itself by keeping up with the times“.

“According to my knowledge, Red Bull would have renewed his agreement with Renault for one year “. A year is short time, especially when there are great changes in regulations that require a great development. “We are experiencing a major domain signed by Mercedes, but in Germany there are other manufacturers. Mateschitz, perhaps, with his threats wants to attract the attention of someone like BMW that can’t stand idly by”, the manager from Faenza concludes… Maybe some negotiations have already begun...