Boullier: 2013 engine debate open

Amid concerns from some teams that the move to 1.6-litre four-cylinder turbocharged engines from 2013 will lead to an unnecessary escalation in costs, and Bernie Ecclestone doubtful that the new power units are good for F1, there has been talk that the switch of engine formula could be delayed.

With opinions between teams on the matter split, even though the new rules are already written into the regulations, Boullier, who was recently voted vice-chairman of the Formula One Teams' Association, thinks that careful thought needs to put into sorting out where the sport goes from here.

"It is a complex debate, to be honest, and there is no easy answer," Boullier told AUTOSPORT. "Renault as a car manufacturer is willing to go for the new regulations, and yes we can understand that there are a couple of reluctant teams.

"Everybody has got their own arguments, and today every argument is valuable, so we still need to sit down and have a better understanding of the wishes of the manufacturers themselves, to make sure the right decision is made.

"The only thing we need to make sure, which is one of the reasons I wanted to get involved more [at FOTA], is that we need to think about F1 interests. That is the main thing - not personal interests."

The debate about the cost impact of the 2013 regulations comes against the backdrop of ongoing talks regarding amendments to the Resource Restriction Agreement (RRA) - which limits team spending.

Although discussions to try and agree on fresh limits failed to reach a positive conclusion at this year's Malaysian Grand Prix, Boullier is confident the matter can get sorted soon.

"We all signed this agreement in Singapore [last year] so that means at one stage we agreed on something," he said. "So we have to get back to the basis of this agreement and push back to finalise it. I am quite confident we will be able to find something."