F1 Switching to Turbo 4s in 2013?
12-06-2010 | 03:07 PM
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From: Wishing I Was At The Track
F1 Switching to Turbo 4s in 2013?
http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2010...rbo%204&st=cse
December 6, 2010, 12:30 pm
Formula One May Switch to Turbo 4-Cylinder for 2013, Says Report
By RICHARD S. CHANG
The chatter over the possibility that Formula One would adopt turbocharged 4-cylinder engines for 2013 reached its height Monday, when BBC Sport reported that a Ferrari spokesman said he would be “surprised” if the switch from 2.4-liter V-8s was not announced at a meeting of the sport’s governing body on Friday.
According to the BBC, Mercedes and Ferrari had been the final holdouts because the rule change would entail expensive research and development costs at a time when the series was keeping costs low. Ironically, the two automakers (which, by the way, depend on a wealthy clientele who favor fast sports cars with massive engines) are among the highest spenders in the sport — with balance sheets close to half a billion dollars a year. But it seems as if they’ve changed their tune.
“An agreement is there, and when there is an agreement you work accordingly,” said the Ferrari spokesman.
The engine change would be part of a new rules package aimed at improving fuel efficiency of the racecars, which are the most technologically sophisticated of any series. The new rules are not expected to reduce engine output from the 750 horsepower that the current V-8s put out, while improving fuel efficiency by up to 50 percent.
Already approved is the addition of regenerative braking — known as a kinetic energy recovery system, or KERS — for next season. With KERS, energy is captured under braking and stored for use at the drivers’ discrepancy. Drivers would be able to release that additional energy (and receive a temporary boost in power) by pressing a button on the steering wheel.
Oddly enough, one opponent of the switch to the smaller engines has been Bernie Ecclestone, the commercial rights holder for the sport.
“We have a very good engine formula,” he told the BBC. “Why should we change it to something that is going to cost millions of pounds and that nobody wants and that could end up with one manufacturer getting a big advantage?”
December 6, 2010, 12:30 pm
Formula One May Switch to Turbo 4-Cylinder for 2013, Says Report
By RICHARD S. CHANG
The chatter over the possibility that Formula One would adopt turbocharged 4-cylinder engines for 2013 reached its height Monday, when BBC Sport reported that a Ferrari spokesman said he would be “surprised” if the switch from 2.4-liter V-8s was not announced at a meeting of the sport’s governing body on Friday.
According to the BBC, Mercedes and Ferrari had been the final holdouts because the rule change would entail expensive research and development costs at a time when the series was keeping costs low. Ironically, the two automakers (which, by the way, depend on a wealthy clientele who favor fast sports cars with massive engines) are among the highest spenders in the sport — with balance sheets close to half a billion dollars a year. But it seems as if they’ve changed their tune.
“An agreement is there, and when there is an agreement you work accordingly,” said the Ferrari spokesman.
The engine change would be part of a new rules package aimed at improving fuel efficiency of the racecars, which are the most technologically sophisticated of any series. The new rules are not expected to reduce engine output from the 750 horsepower that the current V-8s put out, while improving fuel efficiency by up to 50 percent.
Already approved is the addition of regenerative braking — known as a kinetic energy recovery system, or KERS — for next season. With KERS, energy is captured under braking and stored for use at the drivers’ discrepancy. Drivers would be able to release that additional energy (and receive a temporary boost in power) by pressing a button on the steering wheel.
Oddly enough, one opponent of the switch to the smaller engines has been Bernie Ecclestone, the commercial rights holder for the sport.
“We have a very good engine formula,” he told the BBC. “Why should we change it to something that is going to cost millions of pounds and that nobody wants and that could end up with one manufacturer getting a big advantage?”
