Cosworth is preparing to supply a V6 engine for 2014
Cosworth has finally broken the silence regarding its presence in Formula 1 in 2014. The British manufacturer has indeed announced its intention to develop a V6 Turbo engine, putting an end to rumors of withdrawal at the end of the V8 era at the end of 2013.
If there was one engine manufacturer that had not yet spoken about the new technical developments in Formula 1, set to be introduced in 2014, it was indeed Cosworth. So far, only the announcements from the three other suppliers had been heard, the most recent being the test bench of the upcoming Ferrari engine. This curious silence had consequently cast serious doubts on the development of a Turbo V6 bearing the name of the last independent manufacturer.
Doubts that can now be lifted, following statements from Cosworth’s F1 department general manager, Kim Spearman, interviewed by Autosport: “We are ready to supply engines for 2014. Preliminary discussions have taken place with certain people, and I think by the end of September, we would like to know where we stand. But I don’t think we have to dot the i’s and cross the t’s within this timeframe. It can go beyond that.”
Also mentioned by Autosport, Pio Szyjanowicz, the marketing director of the Cosworth group, does not wish to reveal who the mysterious interlocutor spearheaded by Spearman might be, but emphasizes that the company is always spoiled for choice: « Our discussions will remain private until we reach the point where we can reveal them to everyone, but commercial confidentiality is highly valued in Formula 1. Everyone is trying to understand their options and there are still many of them. From our point of view, we are ready to supply engines regardless of the year required. »
Szyjanowicz also indicates that commercial aspects will be at the center of the concerns of the company founded by Mike Costin and Keith Duckworth: “I think that what we saw when Craig [Pollock] had to put things on hold just demonstrates the difficulty of the market,” he said in reference to the suspension of PURE’s activities. “We have repeated over and over again that a solution must be commercially viable, and it would be negligent on our part if that were not the case. The sport owes it to the fans and the teams, and to everyone involved in our industry, to ensure that they produce something that is sustainable and makes commercial sense.”
Although the deadlines may seem tight, Spearman brushes off the time constraints with a wave of the hand: « Regularly, we have designed engines from scratch in 10 months. It’s something we can do and have done many times over the years. We would like a bit more time because it’s a complicated engine, but there’s still a good amount of time to make one. We are not particularly stressed at the moment about succeeding. »
If these statements prove reassuring, it is nonetheless clear that Cosworth is starting with a significant delay compared to manufacturers from automotive industry giants, who have already produced experimental engines. In any case, the English engine maker has 18 months left before the start of the 2014 season.
