The Engine Freeze and New Manufacturers

This is a question I've had essentially since the engine freeze was put into place: what happens if a new engine manufacturer wants to enter Formula One during the engine freeze? Would they be able to submit a design and then not alter it, or would they be SOL so to speak?

I heard something about the FIA having Cosworth engines to lend to teams in need, but I don't know the validity of that. Obviously they could get engines from other sources, so I'm not sure of the importance of the Cosworth engines but it was mentioned during the same topic. It really seems unfair to new teams wanting to join Formula One, and considering we need new teams, and now manufacturers apparently, the rule seems to be exactly the opposite of what Formula One needs.

I did search (a little), and there didn't seem to be any positive answers. The general consensus was that new manufacturers would simply be told they would have to wait until the freeze was over, is this still the case?

BTW: There should be a general questions thread or something, as I'm not entirely certain this is worth a whole new thread, but I don't see where else it could go.

Cheers,
diervos

I was wondering something along the same lines, as well. If, say, Porsche wanted to enter F1 as an engine supplier, could they just develop a wicked engine with newer technology than that used during the freeze and dominate the engine "wars"?

Granted, the rev-limit would make it difficult to make something that "totally dominated" but I can imagine that if the teams were free to work on the engines in the time they've been frozen, we'd see quicker more state-of-the-art engines than we see now.

I don't see any new manufacturer just stepping in and designing a competitive high revving F1 engine from scratch.
And it's not just the engine, but also installation in an F1 chasisis. A new manufacturer will have to learn all that.

Remember there is also not a lot of room for innovation as allowed materials are specified via regulations.

Unless they buy the IP rights from Cosworth.

Its a really good question to ask as, in practice, the engine freeze pretty much means a 'manufacturer' freeze with F1 sticking with the current set of manufacturers...

Can anyone really see VW / Porsche joining in when an engine freeze is in force.. or a Ford deciding to come back?

And as if that wasn't enough, no new manufacturers (or major global brands) are going to want to commit to F1 while Spanky is still in charge...

Originally posted by Timstr11
I don't see any new manufacturer just stepping in and designing a competitive high revving F1 engine from scratch.
And it's not just the engine, but also installation in an F1 chasisis. A new manufacturer will have to learn all that.

Remember there is also not a lot of room for innovation as allowed materials are specified via regulations.

Unless they buy the IP rights from Cosworth.

These are my thoughts on it as well. But I think its a good question to ask, and wonder if FIA thought about it when making the freeze. If someone bought Cosworth's engine, and tested it inhouse for a while, and rebadged it as Audi or Porsche, it makes you wonder.. would they be allowed to compete?

Interesting questions, not many answers. And if Porsche is allowed to submit an engine and that engine will be the best of them all, will the other engine makers be allowed to respond?

I wonder what is written in the engine agreement.

No engine manufacturer is going to be happy, say two years into the freeze, to see another manufacturer be able to come in with a design with the benefit of them knowing exactly where their competitors are at with their existing frozen engines.

The only possible way to make it fair would be to allow everyone else to submit an updated engine whenever a new manufacturer enters the fray.

can't be bothered to find the thread i wanted to post this in

because the douchebags around here will only trash the point I'd try to make, or the ones that have an opinion worth pondering have blocked me already...

if the fia is incapable of leading ... maybe they could learn to follow