The FIA has announced that an agreement on power unit regulations from 2017-2020 has now been made, after talks with the four main engine manufacturers and the World Motor Sport Council were finally completed to a successful conclusion.
The ruling, which was cemented following an e-vote from F1 commission members this week and has the backing of F1 Chief Bernie Ecclestone, concerns bringing down costs of the power units , customer team supply, performance equality and the sound of the power units.
The FIA outlined the measures that will be put into place in a statement, which will also see the number of power units allocated to each driver across a season reduced to just three.
COST
Agreement has been reached on a significant reduction in the price of power unit supply to customer teams and a reduction in cost to manufacturers over the coming years.
– In 2017 the power unit price for customer teams will be reduced by €1m per season compared to 2016.
– From 2018, the annual supply price will be reduced by a further €3m.
– Cost reduction on power units will be driven by changes to the Sporting and Technical regulations in 2017 and 2018, with a progressive reduction of the number of power unit elements per driver per season.
SUPPLY
Supply of power units to customer teams will be ensured, as the homologation procedure will include an “obligation to supply” that will be activated in the event of a team facing an absence of supply.
PERFORMANCE CONVERGENCE
The new agreement includes a package of measures aimed at achieving performance convergence.
– The token system is to be removed from 2017
– Additionally, constraints on power unit part weights, dimensions and materials, and on boost pressure will be introduced in 2017 and in 2018.
SOUND
Manufacturers are currently conducting a promising research programme into further improving the sound of the current power units, with the aim of implementation by 2018 at the latest.
