The new Formula 1 season may still be six weeks away, but a number of key decisions were taken in the past few days that could shape the series’ future.
Following months of discussions in the wake of Honda’s decision to quit F1, Red Bull finally got the green light for its proposed engine freeze from 2022, pausing development for three seasons.
The unanimous agreement paves the way for Red Bull to take over the Honda engine project at the end of this year – but without any correction mechanism in place if any power unit supplier ends up severely down on performance, next year looks set to be make-or-break.
The F1 Commission also gave its support to the introduction of sprint races at select grands prix in 2021, marking a first notable change in the weekend format since 2006. Although plans still have to be finalised with a number of details remaining unclear, the path looks set for their introduction at three races this year.
Away from F1’s political movements, two-time world champion Fernando Alonso was hospitalised after hitting a car while out cycling in Switzerland on Thursday, but does not appear to face any doubts over starting his comeback season as planned next month.
To discuss all of that and more, Autosport Grand Prix Editor Alex Kalinauckas is joined by Autosport F1 Reporter Luke Smith and Motorsport.com F1 Editor Jonathan Noble for the latest edition of the Autosport Podcast.
You can listen to the podcast using the player below, or by downloading via all good audio platforms including Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts and Spotify.