Formula 1: Todt will not back down on new engines

FIA president Jean Todt has hinted that the Federation will not back down on the introduction of 1.6-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engines in F1 in 2013, despite opposition from some teams.

Although the change has received unanimous support from manufacturers and the FIA, both Ferrari president Luca Cordero di Montezemolo and F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone have recently expressed harsh criticism of the new engines.

“Nothing has changed,” Todt said. “Since 2013 it has been announced that we will have a new rule for engines,” Todt said in Turkey this morning. “All this has nothing to do with the holder of the commercial rights of Formula 1 (Ecclestone, ed.)”.

“The change was unanimously voted by the World Motor Sport Council, there are 26 members and among these there are two representatives from the world of F1, one of them from the oldest team, Ferrari, and the other is a representative of who holds the commercial rights, and that is Bernie Ecclestone. And I repeat that the change was unanimously voted for. So in 2013 we will have the introduction of the new engine. Since I am happy to hear comments, in two weeks, on May 21st in Barcelona, ​​I have proposed a meeting with all the people involved in the development of the engine rules. I will do my best to be there and listen to the progress in engine development. At the moment there are no reasons to think about changing the rules that have already been unanimously approved" explained Todt.