Sports Mole rounds up all of the latest news regarding Formula 1 on Thursday, October 8.
Thursday morning's Formula 1 news roundup:
Red Bull could quit F1 over engine situation
© Reuters
Red Bull may pull out of Formula 1 if it cannot find a "competitive" alternative to works Honda power.
That is the warning of Dr Helmut Marko, the Austrian official who is closest to Red Bull and Alpha Tauri's billionaire owner Dietrich Mateschitz.
Honda shocked the F1 world last Friday by announcing its decision to quit after 2021.
Marko told Auto Motor und Sport that Red Bull will not be able to attract a new engine manufacturer to Formula 1.
"Nobody wants to put in such an effort for a period of only four years until the next regulations," he said. "And everyone knows by now that you can't just come in and be competitive right away.
"The hybrid technology is far too complicated and expensive for that."
Marko said it is the cost of being in F1 that was a factor in Honda's decision to pull out.
"We should have cut costs before now," he lamented.
"From 2022 you will need a new cylinder head to make the engine work for the 20 percent biofuel. And then another new engine in 2023 for 100 percent e-fuels.
"It's extra costs that adds nothing for the public."
As for what Red Bull will do next, the options are either to buy a customer engine from an existing manufacturer, or to buy the IP in Honda's 2021 engine and take on that project as well.
"It is true that we can get an engine. But we don't necessarily want every one," Marko said.
Indeed, a deal with Mercedes seems unlikely, and Ferrari's engine is not currently competitive.
Marko said: "Formula 1 cannot afford for Ferrari to be driving around in the lower midfield forever.
"If we go to Renault, we get an engine that they build according to their needs. Tailor-made for their chassis. That's again a compromise for us."
Many think the most likely option is for Red Bull to take over Honda's engine IP.
"The problem would start in 2022," Marko said. "We would have to convert the engine to bio-fuel immediately, and we know how complex this whole technology is.
"These are factors that we have to take into account."
Therefore, Red Bull following Honda out of Formula 1 cannot be ruled out. "If we cannot find a competitive solution, that is an option," Marko admitted.
"Max has a competitive engine in his contract, but that's also our premise. Without an engine with which we can win the world championship, the project is not interesting for us."
Alfa Romeo to announce Schumacher for 2021 race seat
© Reuters
Formula 1 is abuzz with rumours that Mick Schumacher's 2021 Formula 1 race debut will be confirmed this weekend at the Nurburgring.
The 21-year-old Formula 2 series leader is already making his free practice debut for Alfa Romeo on Friday, at the wheel of Antonio Giovinazzi's car.
The official fan club of Mick's famous father Michael Schumacher is excited.
"If it's true that Mick will race in Formula 1 next year, it will be golden times for us again," fan club chairman Reiner Ferling told RTL.
For the moment, Schumacher is simply hoping it doesn't rain at the chilly Nurburgring.
"Hopefully it won't be so wet that we can't go out at all," he said. "Otherwise there will be more waiting."
Schumacher said he knows it is an important week for him.
"Of course I have respect for the whole thing," he told the broadcaster NTV. "It is the first time I have been in front of the big eyes - all of the team bosses, all of the CEOs, all of the teams."
In Germany and also Switzerland - where Alfa Romeo is based - authoritative media sources are converging on the opinion that confirmation of a 2021 race deal for Schumacher is due this weekend.
Kimi Raikkonen is expected to be his teammate.
"I've known Mick since he was born," Jean Todt, the FIA president who was once Michael Schumacher's Ferrari team boss and close friend, told La Gazzetta dello Sport.
"He has had a good season. He has a very important name, but the name can perhaps open some doors but it doesn't drive the car or have the success that he is having."
Earlier, Schumacher's manager Sabine Kehm credited Mick's mother - Michael Schumacher's wife Corinna - for the leading role she has played in her son's rise to F1.
"Corinna is a person who is very dear to me," Todt said. "You really understand people in difficult times and she has been through a lot, but she behaved in a fantastic way."
More news from Formula 1:
F1 should speed up new engine rules - Marko
Formula 1 should consider speeding up the sport's move to new engine regulations, according to Red Bull's Dr Helmut Marko. Read more.
Verstappen must have 'competitive' 2021 car - father
Red Bull needs to "worry" if it cannot supply a "competitive car" to Max Verstappen for 2021. Read more.
Experts split over Hamilton's F1 greatness
As Lewis Hamilton looks to match and beat Michael Schumacher's all time records, the jury is still out regarding the British driver's greatness. Read more.
