Honda might quit F1

In response to the World Council voting to change the engine rules in F1 – “As we said all along, we want the engine formula to be open, so we can differentiate ourselves," Honda’s Otmar Szafnauer commented. “One of the reasons we are here is so that we can fight the others on a level playing field in a formula that is not very restrictive. Once you start restricting it, the challenge goes away. That is not what Honda is here for."

Szafnauer’s biggest beef surround restricting design freedom. “Defining the weight that the engine has to be, and the center of gravity, the bore size and the cylinder spacing – those are the main issues," he added. Szafnauer says that Honda is still hoping to negotiate a compromise: “I think the first thing to do is fight this in every way we can," he said. “We want to discuss it with the FIA, tell them what we are against and hopefully come to a better solution. We’ll do that first before we pull out. “We are committed to F1, we always said that, and I think the easiest thing to do in the light of something like this is quit. The hard thing to do is fight for what you believe is the best for the sport. We’re not selfish in saying some of this stuff. We joined the sport because it was the pinnacle and a challenge to our engineers. When that changes, then I think you should fight it."

FIA president Max Mosley, however, told Autosport.com the time for negotiations is over. “We’ve done the negotiating. We did that in China," he declared. “As far as Honda is concerned, I sat down and had a long discussion with them and tried to reach agreement, but it turned out not to be possible. This has been voted and is now the rules. It’s gone through all the procedures, been voted by the World Council and that’s it."