Formula 1’s governing body, the FIA, is reportedly considering a rule change which would allow Honda the same engine development freedom granted to its rivals.
A week before Christmas, the FIA’s Charlie Whiting issued a technical directive allowing in-season engine development for Mercedes, Ferrari and Renault, but not newcomer Honda.
Representatives from the Japanese company described the decisions as “unfair”, whilst a brief statement said the company would seek discussion with the FIA as it “believes in fair competition for the goodness of the sport, and for our fans.”
Honda and McLaren met with the FIA on Monday to discuss the matter in an effort to clarify the rules and get them changed.
A spokesperson from the governing body told the BBC that the talks were “constructive”, that the meeting “went well” and they are “discussing matters that arose.”
It’s believed they may be considering a change to the rules which would give Honda the same opportunity to develop their power unit throughout 2015.
This would happen by allowing Honda to homologate its engine by February 28th as previously planned, but to give the manufacturer a number of ‘development tokens’ to use during the season.
Among other items up for discussion is the fact that Honda are limited to supplying just four engines, rather than the five Mercedes, Ferrari and Renault supplied in their first season.