Honda met with FIA’s technical guru, Charlie Whiting, on Monday to discuss the situation regarding engine development and homologation. As we mentioned before, Honda were being asked to submit their engine on February 28th and would be frozen just as Mercedes, Ferrari and Renault last year for the entire season.
A loophole in the regulations now allows Mercedes, Ferrari and Renault to deploy their performance upgrades to their engine over the 2015 season but the FIA’s position is that Honda would not be allowed to do so. The notion being that they must have a season of frozen performance upgrades just as the other manufacturers did in 2014.
According the AUTOSPORT’s Mr. Noble, the talks went well and the FIA is now considering the matter further which could bode well for Honda but we’ll have to wait and see if there is a clarification to the regulations or the loophole allowing for performance upgrades throughout the season.
One of the main arguments is that Honda has had the last 12 months to develop their engine while Mercedes, Ferrari and Renault’s power units were frozen. It might be a position and a good one but I can’t help but think the crucible of the race is where the three manufacturers learned the most and that their frozen status hasn’t stopped them from gaining much more meaningful data than Honda ever could by standing on the outside looking in.
Honda needed a good meeting and perhaps they got one. Is this fair or is it good for the sport? Luring new manufacturers to the sport only to hobble them with regulations that the other teams aren’t subject to due to the time of entry to the sport is a slippery slope.
Hat Tip: AUTOSPORT
