FIA abandons plans for standard F1 gearboxes

The FIA has abandoned its plan to standardised gearboxes in Formula 1 from the 2021 season, confirming on Friday there will remain freedom for suppliers.

Under the planned revision of the F1 technical regulations for the 2021 season, a number of parts are set to be standardised and go through a tender process, with the supply of gearbox cassettes being one such area.

Despite interest being shown by multiple suppliers, the FIA has now opted to backtrack on the move, issuing a statement on Friday confirming the tender has not been awarded.

"The World Motor Sport Council has accepted by majority the recommendation not to appoint a single supplier for this component," the statement confirms.

"The Council's decision was based on consideration of both technical and financial information made available by teams and suppliers. The technical data provided revealed that gearbox technology in Formula 1 has largely converged and that, as a result, there is little performance differentiation at present.

"It was also noted that, due to the complexity of the components, gearboxes remain a sensitive matter in terms of reliability, and this was factored into the evaluations of the FIA Technical Department.

"Regarding the financial implications of the tender process, detailed financial data was requested from F1 competitors and a number of teams operating different business models supplied the FIA with relevant information. Analysis of this revealed that similar financial savings could be made by means other than the specification of a single supplier.

"These methods are being discussed with the Formula 1 teams and will be included in the regulatory package to be presented by the end of June."