Mercedes and McLaren benefit from engine rules

The head of the Red Bull Formula 1 team has suggested that rules governing engine development could turn the 2010 season into a two-horse race between Mercedes and McLaren, and even prompt manufacturers to leave the sport.

Christian Horner made the comments at the unveiling of the team's 2010 car - RB6 - at the start of the second official pre-season testing session at Jerez in Spain.

He said that "engine freeze" regulations, which effectively prevent teams from developing new engines until 2013, were giving teams that used the best engine an advantage. The rule was introduced to keep costs down, but Horner believes that it is benefiting Mercedes-powered cars.

Red Bull failed in its bid to secure a Mercedes engine for 2010 and will once again be powered by Renault.

"The problem with the engine freeze is that you freeze in an advantage," Horner explained. "As the chassis converge in performance, the engines will become a key performance differentiator.

"There has to be a balancing of that, otherwise we will end up with Mercedes-powered cars winning all the races, and other manufacturers may choose to leave Formula One off of the back of that."

Mercedes provides engines for its own team, formerly Brawn GP, as well as McLaren and the smaller Force India team.

If Horner is proved right it could set up an intriguing title race between the McLaren pair of Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton and the returning Michael Schumacher.

However, Ferrari will want to prove Horner wrong and Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso both impressed in the first round of F1 tests earlier this month.

The second testing session began yesterday but heavy rain ruined the first day. Nico Rosberg, in a Mercedes, recorded the fastest lap and there was trouble for Red Bull when their car sprung an oil leak early on. ·