Since the massive changes to the regulations in 2014, Mercedes has been the most dominant team among Ferrari, McLaren and Williams. And while the regulatory changes for 2022 are likely to significantly increase the starting line-up, it looks like Mercedes could well stay at the top.
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Furthermore, given the engine freeze, one can hardly expect any major changes in teams’ performance; This trend is likely to continue until the end of 2025. But beyond 2025 Mercedes could get into a small scuffle.
The outcome of the meeting in Monza was very successful, as all engine suppliers had agreed on the arrival of Audi and Porsche in 2026. However, the Volkswagen Group expressed serious concerns about the German manufacturer Mercedes.
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What are Audi and Porsche planning?
There was a lot of disagreement about the budget cap. Yes, F1 recently provided a solution for this; They felt that the newcomers would get budget concessions while the current teams continued to work at their limit.
However, Volkswagen wants more! According to Auto Motor Und Sport, the newcomers are demanding the highest possible budget limit. Consequently, they also want to set the limits of Mercedes as low as possible.
Formula 1 F1 – Italian Grand Prix – Autodromo Nazionale Monza, Monza, Italy – September 11, 2021 Mercedes Valtteri Bottas during practice REUTERS / Massimo Pinca
This is because, unlike the newcomers, Mercedes is a standalone company that has the ability to manufacture most of the parts in-house. Your point of view sounds reasonable enough.
Nevertheless, this will certainly not go down well with Mercedes, as the 7-time world champion will contradict this special demand.
Why only Mercedes and not Red Bull too?
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One could think about this point. Mercedes and Red Bull are now fighting for the title and look strong enough to build on that dominance in the years to come. In spite of such similarities, why are Audi and Porsche aiming only at Mercedes and not at Red Bull?
Formula 1 F1 – Russian Grand Prix – Sochi Autodrom, Sochi, Russia – September 24, 2021 Red Bulls Max Verstappen in action during practice REUTERS / Anton Vaganov
The truth is that Red Bull has a huge endeavor in their own hands. The Milton Keynes team is busy taking on Honda’s massive engine project. And this consequently sucks millions and millions of money out of the team.
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So it would be pretty unfair to set Red Bull such a low budget cap until 2026. In the meantime, Mercedes will look much more comfortable with hardly any financial hardship. Therefore, Volkswagen is rushing to prevent another era of Mercedes dominance in F1. But will F1 comply with their suggestion?
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The post Report: Volkswagen at a crossroads with Mercedes F1 on crucial budget decision for engines for 2026 first appeared on monter-une-startup.
