F1: Mercedes still adamant that 'unfreeze' will only increase costs
The tension between Mercedes and the other manufacturers and their associated teams was further increased in Brazil when the latest round of discussions on an engine 'unfreeze' in 2015 came to nothing.
Rivals are incensed that after appearing to agree in meetings in Singapore and again in Brazil, Mercedes later changed its mind on allowing an extra window for development in the middle of the season. The Stuttgart manufacturer, which has more cars to service next year than any of its rivals, is adamant that attention has to be paid to costs.
“If we would try to write down who changed his mind when, and how, and why, that would be a long list,” said Toto Wolff. “All of us are having a certain opinion, and certain priorities, and all of us are trying to push very hard for the best for the team, and the best for F1. And the last word, it's still under construction.
“We very much believe we can't take any foolish decisions which would increase the costs dramatically for everybody around here. We need to keep that under control. We owe it to the teams that went out of business, and we have to stay reasonable. We are going to resume the discussions when we come back to Europe.”
Meanwhile Ferrari's Marco Mattiacci says it's not over yet: “We discussed it, some of the players keep changing their ideas, but we keep working, we don't give up on a very fundamental principle of F1 – that is innovating, that is competing. Obviously one [player] does not share these values of F1. But I have to say at the same time we must appreciate the fact that everyone is trying to reach a middle ground.”
