FIA confirms engine freeze to use 2006 cut-off.

FIA president Max Mosley has told the Formula One engine manufacturers that they will be working with versions of the powerplants in use on 1 June this year when the proposed engine freeze comes into force in the 2008 season.

A letter sent to the teams at Hockenheim this weekend apparently confirms that, despite ongoing attempts to relax the development restrictions imposed by Mosley's version of the freeze, the original terms would remain in force, with the president reminding the teams and their suppliers that it would be advantageous for the freeze to be brought forward to cover the 2007 season as well.

If the manufacturers do not agree to this - and are unlikely to do so because the rule change would not then be covered by the revised Concorde Agreement that starts in 2008 - the sport faces the spectre of ongoing development through 2007, before engines revert to 2006-spec at the end of next season.

"It is now clear that we must stop discussing engine regulations and focus entirely on complying with those we already have," Reuters quotes Mosley's letter as saying, "This means that the engines used in 2008 will be those in use on 1 June 2006."

"It is to be hoped that everyone will agree to use these engines also for 2007, and thus avoid pointless and wasteful development work for just one season... particularly as the seven different engines will be so close together in performance that a team with all the other necessary elements in place could win the world championship with any one of them."

Mosley's letter would also appear to spell the end of the fund being proposed by the manufacturers to help independent teams, a move the GPMA had hoped would allow for a softening of the freeze regulations in favour of both a later cut-off point and limited development during the ensuing homologation period.

The FIA president added that he hoped the designers' focus would now switch to 'modern and relevant technologies', returning to his theme of a greener sport and the use of renewable and alternative energy sources.