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Renault behind engine freeze idea

Renault are the driving force behind a controversial plan to freeze engine development in Formula One, autosport.com has learned

This new information suggests the French manufacturer is about to turn its back on plans for a breakaway series and commit long term to Formula One.

FIA president Max Mosley caused a stir earlier this week when he announced an idea to prevent engine manufacturers from developing their power-units for three years from the start of 2008, once their design has been submitted.

This would lead to a dramatic reduction in costs, which Mosley believes is necessary to secure the sport's future, but goes against some manufacturers' ideals of advancing technology in F1.

Although there are some suggestions that the engine proposal has served to raise tensions between Mosley and the rebel Grand Prix Manufacturers' Association (GPMA), autosport.com can reveal that the idea was actually brought up recently by one of the members of that group - Renault.

The French team originally proposed the idea to the FIA in a letter dated January 20th 2005, as part of a wider cost-cutting proposal. The document was released to the public by the FIA a year ago but went largely unnoticed at the time.

However, recent discussions between Renault and the FIA - at a time when the french manufacturer is contractually commited to the GPMA - have driven Mosley to introduce the engine freeze idea as part of his agenda for the 2008 regulation changes.

With Renault CEO Carlos Ghosn recently making it clear that his company would remain in F1 only as long as it made commercial sense, there has been mounting pressure on the team's management to ensure they can justify the investment needed to compete.

Sources claim that part of this push involves campaigning for reduced costs and has included the radical idea to freeze engine development.

The FIA has, however, refused to confirm whether Renault are the ones pushing for the 'engine freeze' idea - although interestingly they have not denied it.

A spokesman for the FIA said: "It would be inappropriate to comment."

The push for the engine freeze seems to put Renault in a different camp to some other manufacturers, who are determined to ensure that F1 remains very much the pinnacle of high-technology, and highlights the possibility of an open split in the GPMA ranks.

Although the five GPMA members, BMW, Honda, Mercedes-Benz, Renault and Toyota, have all signed an agreement that binds them together to the breakaway cause until September, there are mounting suggestions that Renault are going to break that deal and sign-up with Bernie Ecclestone and the FIA in the next few months.

That idea has grown strength in recent weeks, especially on the back of claims from Renault boss Flavio Briatore that the only realistic option for the future is for the manufacturers to abandon the GPMA and sign up to F1.

"It is very simple," said Briatore in an interview with Auto Motor Und Sport recently. "The cards are on the table and everybody is free to decide what he prefers. The ones who want to compete with reasonable cost have to stay in Formula One. The rest have to do something different.

"We only should have one thing in mind. It took ages to bring this sport to the level that we have now. It can take only one season to destroy it all."

Talking about the possibility of the manufacturers running their own series, Briatore added: "People in this business have a very short memory. For most of us the world ends at the door of our own garage. Max and Bernie see the whole picture.

"Mosley has to act as he does, because we never find an agreement. It is normal that doing this results from time to time in not so good decisions.

"But all in all he does a very good job. Bernie made us all rich. I do not understand the people, who complain all the time, that they do not get enough money. I know colleagues who started as normal people in this business. Now, they are normal people with a private jet."


 

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