Quote:
Originally Posted by chillibowl
colour me confused again (not my day today i think lol)
is there a cap on what one can spend on engine development per year and for the years leading up to 2026? i dint think there was so perhaps that is the part i am missing?
but if there is no cap, cant RBP spend whatever they want in the intervening years on engine development? rather, what does it matter what Ford contributes to that annual engine budget because whatever limit they might have imposed on them by the 'partial new supplier' moniker RBP can more than make up the difference with their deep pockets?
and/or if RB really want or need to be compensated then surely there are any number of B2B scenarios for Ford to hand over money as an advertising and promotion fee?
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There is now a cap on what you can spend on power unit development between now and 2026 and beyond. With there being a boost given to "new" power unit providers. With that being an enticement for someone like Audi or Porsche. But Red Bull Power Train (RBPT) also said they are "new" (and they do have a leg to stand on). But... they are not quite as "new" as Audi might be. So ever since RBPT has said they are new, there was been pushback by some or all of the other manufactures. I think this is new announcement is probably a compromise solution to give RBPT a boost, but not quite the same boost as Audi.
Power Unit Financial Regulations can be found here...
https://www.fia.com/sites/default/fi...2022-08-16.pdf
These go beyond just "financial", but also cap specific components (like number of dynos, etc.) Take a peek at Appendix 2 and 3 as they are VERY interesting. I think the goal is that it allows someone like Audi to say... "We know exactly what R&D equipment is allowed and how much everyone can spend". So it is to help a new manufacture feel they can jump in and (cross fingers) maybe get parity much faster. They are trying to stop the power units from being as much of a deciding factor as they were in the recent Mercedes era.
As to Ford and RBPT. If Ford provides more than financial assistance, then that will have to be tracked within the cap. If Ford provides money, well, that is just less money that Red Bull has to provide themselves to fund the power unit development.
Richard