Soon 1000-horsepower Turbo V6s?
The 1.6L Turbo V6 engine introduced in 2014 was intended to make F1 more "green," but its noise has sparked much discussion and things might be reconsidered, with the possibility of making it more powerful—up to 1000 horsepower—in order to enhance the spectacle, in particular.
Influential members in F1 met this week in Geneva and notably proposed the idea of making the current engines more powerful, to increase them to 1000 horsepower.
The V6 Turbo introduced at the beginning of 2014 did not win unanimous approval: criticized for not being loud enough, not powerful enough, or not fitting the image of F1. However, given the costs incurred in its development, changing it seems complicated. But the F1 officials want to see the championship be as spectacular as in the past and attractive to fans, and the engine could be a point of development.
*Autosport* also reports that discussions have taken place between the power unit working group and the FIA on the subject, although nothing is expected to be implemented before 2017 at the earliest according to the British publication.
However, the ability to “boost” the V6 engines up to 1000 horsepower without redesigning the V6 as they are today would prevent costs from skyrocketing. However, this would require a change in regulations: by increasing the allowed fuel flow, maximum RPMs, as well as raising the 100kg fuel limit per race.
The idea of increasing the V6 Turbo engines to 1000 horsepower should now be discussed among the technical directors of the F1 teams and then by the Strategy Group, before possibly getting the green light for a feasibility analysis.
With a more powerful engine, the FIA could also decide to change the technical regulations to make the cars faster and more complicated to drive. The level of downforce could be increased and the wheels widened starting in 2016 with this in mind.
Moreover, engine manufacturers have also discussed reducing costs related to the power unit, which could involve standardizing auxiliary components such as energy recovery systems—an idea proposed by Christian Horner at the end of last year.
The idea has already received approval from a former F1 driver, Alan McNish – who drove for Toyota in 2002. The Dane stated at the Autosport International Show that current F1 cars might have become too easy to drive for beginners: « [F1] is a spectacle. Speaking of the 1000 horsepower, I think modern F1 cars have too large a window of operation. The reason I say this is that, during the Silverstone tests last year, there were three or four beginners who came up from lower categories, and they were immediately fast. You can always have someone special like Kimi Räikkönen coming from Formula Renault, or I think Max Verstappen coming from F1, but I don’t think you can have three or four like that. Therefore, I think they should be a bit more complicated to drive. »
McNish, however, believes that increasing power won’t solve everything. For him, cars need to be more beastly, more complicated to drive, requiring more mastery from the drivers: « 1000 horsepower is something that is being discussed for 2017, but [there should be] more power and [cars that are] a bit more delicate [to drive]; something that requires the driver to work physically as well. Physically, today, they [F1 cars] are easier than they used to be. You really had to make them work – remember Nigel Mansell and that period when you really had a handle on the behavior of the car – and that’s not really the case anymore. It’s about strategy and efficiency, mostly about balance. »
