Is Ecclestone playing games for Red Bull’s benefit?

Bernie Ecclestone is today meeting with engine manufacturers and team bosses as they discuss relaxing development rules to allow Renault and Honda to catch up a little quicker than they otherwise would.

However Ecclestone is likely to use the meeting to his and Red Bull’s benefit by playing games with both Ferrari and Mercedes, in the hope he can persuade, or failing that, force them to supply Red Bull with engines.

How might he do that when both have strongly rejected supplying the Milton Keynes team with same-spec engines in 2016 and beyond?

The 84-year-old usually gets his way and he often does so by saying one thing, to achieve a completely different outcome.

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It’s expected Ecclestone will head to the meeting with a plan on forcing a change in the regulations to allow Red Bull, Toro Rosso and whomever else wants, to run a cheap 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6 engine based on a pre-existing design.

It would be a huge last minute change to the regulations and one that would likely face strong opposition from current engine manufacturers which have invested hundreds of millions in their power units.

But the fact Red Bull and Toro Rosso don’t currently have deals in place, nor are any current manufacturers willing to do a deal, could allow Ecclestone to force the change through on the grounds of force majeure, aka Red Bull have no viable options, therefore to ensure the health of the grid and the sport, a radical solution must be found and pushed through regardless of unanimous support or not.

However coming back to that sentence: “saying one thing to achieve a completely different outcome”. Ecclestone’s threat could simply be an empty one aimed at forcing Ferrari and Mercedes to back down and agree to supplying Red Bull and Toro Rosso.

Neither want to see their hybrid-V6 engines competing – and possibly being beaten by – a cheap, non-hybrid V6 introduced at the last minute. Will it be enough to persuade them though?