"There is another question, which is what to do for 2007?" Theissen added, "If there is a very restrictive regulation for 2008, it would enforce manufacturers to develop a 2007 engine which is beyond the drawing board. The money is spent, and the engine will be tested in a few weeks. If we race that engine in 2007, only to step back to what we have today, that doesn't really make sense. So my hope is that we can come to a compromise in terms of homologation and the freezing date for us to be allowed to use the 2007 engine, which everybody has anyway, as the homologated engine. Or, do we put the regulation forward and have the homologated engine already in 2007?"
Mercedes-Benz's long-time motorsports chief Norbert Haug is a big proponent of freezing F1's engine specifications. Haug believes that the costs of competing in F1 have run amok and has been promoting the concept to the other manufacturers.
"We pushed very much from the Mercedes side for these changes over the last two years," Haug said, "The process started in Monaco this year, and we are just about to get a decision. I hope it will be a unanimous one. We just need
Renault and
Ferrari to follow the proposal because everybody else is in line and I think everybody needs to compromise a little bit because this is what we all are doing."
Haug admits that it's difficult to prevent any race team from spending money in whatever way pleases them, but he wants to see a rules package that will enable the less financially-endowed teams to be competitive. This idea is one of motor racing's great chimeras, but Haug believes it can be achieved in
F1.
