MOTORSPORT: Rally Oz end of champion’s road?

Daniel Ricciardo isn’t the only elite driver weighing his future on the international stage – five-time world rally champion Sebastien Ogier is too, in fact this month’s Rally Australia could even be his finale.

And motorsport’s world governing body, the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), and Formula 1 owner Liberty Media (via its motorsport director Ross Brawn) have issued what they call “a roadmap for the development of the next generation of [F1 engine] regulations” for 2021 and beyond. They say the aims are to reduce costs, maintain the road relevance of hybrid technology in the sport and improve the sound of the cars – by raising the useable powerband by 3000rpm.

Clearly the intention is to woo the likes of Porsche, Cosworth and Aston Martin into F1, but Mercedes-Benz – which has dominated the four seasons of the hybrid era – has already opposed the framework, while Ferrari is talking of using its special power of veto to scuttle the proposed changes.

WRC champion ponders Ford, Citroen and retirement
Five-time world rally champion Sebastien Ogier has been contemplating the choice between a contract extension to keep driving a Ford for M-Sport, or return to Citroen’s factory team for next year’s championship, but now he’s revealed a third option.

“My wife and my [baby] son, they would like me to sign to stay home,” Ogier said this week. “I’m always analysing a lot of things in my way of managing the championship and the way of managing my life in general, so I don’t make the decision easily.

“I’m still working on different options. Right now I haven’t really decided.

“Of course, this kind of moment (winning his latest title) makes me think about the risks you take, especially like in the test (in Finland in July, when he had a heavy crash, then another on the first day of the rally there).

“I couldn’t do anything with this [testing] crash – big rocks in the road, a flat-out corner and I had no way to avoid it.

“It was a big crash coming to me. It was pure bad luck.

“I am enjoying a lot of time at home with my son and my wife. Of course, you can see life differently.”

While Ogier is having thoughts about whether to continue competing, he made no secret that his fifth title, in a Ford Fiesta Malcolm Wilson’s privateer M-Sport team was “the strongest emotion I ever had in rallying”.

“It was a big pleasure. We have the fastest car in the WRC ever. It’s good fun,” he said.
“This feeling … I never had it so much in rallying.

“It was a bet (gamble) to go with M-Sport this year, with the smaller budget than the manufacturers (Hyundai, Toyota and Citroen).

“This one was special because it was a new challenge, new cars, new team – everything was different from last year.

“We (he and co-driver Julien Ingrassia) had to start very, very late. We started this season with almost no tests in the Fiesta. I knew it would be a tough job to preserve our title and we’ve made it.”

As special as it has been, there is now the pull of family life too.

“They would like me to stay at home. I don’t know. I have to think more.”

At 33, perhaps it’s too early for Ogier to pull the plug on the WRC, especially as soon as Rally Australia at Coffs Harbour on November 16-19.

On the other hand, maybe there’s little chance now of him trying to overhaul the only driver with a better record than him in rallying – French compatriot Sebastien Loeb, winner of a record nine championships in a row.

Ricciardo’s call at least six months away
Daniel Ricciardo wants to wait until the 2018 F1 season is well underway before deciding his future.

The carsales.com.au global ambassador is seen as being in line for a seat at either Mercedes-Benz or Ferrari in 2019, but Red Bull Racing wants to keep him alongside Max Verstappen, who it already has signed until the end of 2020.

“Our number one objective is to retain the [driver] pairing that we have,” RBR team principal Christian Horner reiterated this week.

“[But] we have options.”

Spaniard Carlos Sainz Junior is currently on loan from Red Bull to its engine supplier Renault until the end of next season and is the logical replacement for Ricciardo if the Australian opts out.

Nevertheless, Horner has been publicly supportive of Ricciardo not rushing the decision on his future.

“The next move that he [Ricciardo] makes at 28 years of age is a very important one for him, so I am sure he is going to take the time to make sure that the decision is right for him,” Horner said.

“But he knows the [RBR] intention very clearly [to keep him]. I've discussed it with him.

“We want him in the team, and if that takes another six months then so be it.

“He enjoys being within the team and he sees the quality and capability in the team.

“He knows how we go about our racing, and how we treat the two drivers – which he is extremely comfortable and happy with.

“I think he is keen to see what engine performance looks like next year, which is understandable.

"Obviously I would like to have it done sooner, but if it takes six months for the same result then so be it.”

Apart from seeing how next year’s Renault-powered RB14 comes up, another factor for Ricciardo to mull-over is what engine Red Bull will have in 2019, with Renault unlikely to continue supplying the team.

The option may be Honda power units, which Red Bull’s junior team Toro Rosso will start using next season. However, the Japanese manufacturer’s hybrid units have been so uncompetitive for three years that McLaren has dropped them.

Aston Martin has increasingly close links to RBR, including jointly developing a hypercar, and the legendary sports car marque has shown interest in becoming an F1 engine supplier – or at least putting its badge on one – if F1’s astronomical costs can be brought down.

Ricciardo normally departs his Monaco apartment over the holiday period to enjoy the warmer weather and better physical training opportunities in his native Perth, West Australia. This year the break will afford plenty of time to think.

Haggling over next-generation F1 engines
The F1 power unit “roadmap” announced midweek is trying to be all things to all interested parties, but already it can be seen that it may end up pleasing none of them.

While there may be some initial attraction to the likes of Porsche, Aston Martin and Cosworth, the mooted regulations are unlikely to eventuate if Mercedes-Benz flexes its muscles and, more importantly, if Ferrari uses its power of veto.

Red Bull’s Christian Horner, perhaps hopeful of Aston Martin sneaking in with a comparatively cheap but competitive engine, or maybe a unit from Porsche after its success with hybrids in sports car racing (particularly at Le Mans), has accused Mercedes and Ferrari of simply “blocking” the obvious need for serious change.

So what have the FIA and Ross Brawn proposed from 2021?

The 1.6-litre V6 turbo hybrid would be retained, with these changes:
>> 3000rpm higher engine running speed range to improve the sound;
>> Prescriptive internal design parameters to restrict development costs and discourage extreme designs and running conditions;
>> Removal of the MGU-H (recovery of turbo energy);
>> More powerful MGU-K (recovery of rear brake energy) with focus on manual driver deployment in races together with the option to save up energy over several laps to give a driver-controlled tactical element to racing;
>> Single turbocharger with dimensional constraints and weight limits;
>> Standard energy store and control electronics;
>> High level of external prescriptive design to give ‘Plug-And-Play’ engine/chassis/transmission swap capability;
>> Intention to investigate tighter fuel regulations and limits on number of fuels used.

The FIA said that full technical information would not be released until the end of next year, so that participants don’t abandon development of existing engine to concentrate on development on the next generation.

However, Petronas Mercedes-AMG team principal Toto Wolff said he was surprised that the FIA had issued so much detail already.

“It portrays it in a way of this is how we’re going forward and none of the current OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) was particularly impressed,” Wolff said.

“We (Mercedes) haven’t accepted it. The flaw of the concept is that it’s a completely new engine and new investment.

“The new concept needs to tackle the deficit that has been outlined – development costs and noise level – and all that needs to be linked with a global view of F1. We haven’t seen any of that.”

However, Brawn – who was the technical chief of the Mercedes team after his historic stint at Ferrari and has been largely blamed by former F1 commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone for the introduction of the unpopular (with fans) hybrids - has a different take.

“The 2021 power unit is an example of the future way the FIA as regulators, F1 as commercial right holders, the teams and the manufacturers as stakeholders, will work together for the common good of the sport,” Brawn said.

“The proposal was the outcome of a series of meeting which took place during 2017 with the teams participating in F1 and the manufacturers who showed their interest to be part of the pinnacle of motorsport.

"Also, we’ve carefully listened to what the fans think about the power unit and what they would like to see in the near future with the objective to define a set of regulations which will provide a powertrain that is simpler, cheaper and noisier and will create the conditions to facilitate new manufacturers to enter F1 as powertrain suppliers and to reach a more levelled field in the sport.

“The new F1 (under Liberty’s ownership) has the target to be the world’s leading global sports competition married to state of the art technology. To excite, engage, and awe fans of all ages but to do so in a sustainable manner.

“We believe that the future power unit will achieve this.”

Ferrari team boss Maurizio Arrivabene has said that – while supportive of F1 reducing costs, improving performance and boosting “the show” – he wants to “keep the same engine architecture”.

Ferrari’s veto - which according to a recent report on Forbes.com was formally granted to it by the FIA in a letter dated January 17, 2005 - can only be used if it “reasonably considers that the new regulations are likely to have a substantial impact on its legitimate interest”.

The veto “must not be prejudicial to the traditional values of the championship and/or the image of the FIA”.