Topic: They're Baaaaack....

[Otto Puzzell]

The FIA's World Motor Sport Council (WMSC) has approved new regulations which will see the 2.4 litre V8s currently used by Formula One teams replaced by four cylinder 1.6 litre engines from 2013. The decision to give the go-ahead to the changes follows lengthy discussions between the FIA, engine manufacturers and specialists.

The more environmentally-friendly units are expected to deliver a 35 percent reduction in fuel consumption, whilst providing the same level of performance enjoyed by today's F1 drivers. Energy recovery systems and additional energy management will be utilised to ensure this is possible.

“The WMSC approved the introduction of a new specification engine from 2013, underlining the FIA’s commitment to improving sustainability and addressing the needs of the automotive industry,” explained the FIA. “Following dialogue with the engine manufacturers and experts in this field, the power units will be four cylinders, 1.6 litre with high pressure gasoline injection up to 500 bar.”

Rev limits on the new engines will be reduced from the current 18,000 rpm to a maximum of 12,000 rpm.

An additional revision to the 2013 regulations will see a drop in the number of engines at drivers' disposal. Currently they can use eight units a season without penalty, but this will be limited to five in 2013 and reduced to four for subsequent seasons.

Source: www.formula1.com/

[Allan L]

Again I shall bleat on about the Rules designing the cars/engines rather than the designer. If you have to have a displacement limit (as has been the case often enough over the history of motor racing) leave it to the engine designer to decide the number and arrangement of cylinders and the r.p.m.
If the current crop of engines can do 19,000 r.p.m. or more, a smaller displacement one with lots of piston area (by whatever means) should be good for much more if the designer can make the valve and gas-flow events work at such frequencies - and I'd like him to be able to try.
In case you are to young to understand, dear reader, we wouldn't have had the V16 or H16 BRM nor the 8-cylinder D-B or Lancia engines under this kind of Rule-making (nor the 2˝ litre BRM even, as its large bore/short stroke layout was pretty extreme for the time).

[Otto Puzzell]

I could not agree more, Allan

[faksta]

Sounds like Honda wants to come back with a Civic engine?

[DeAutogids]

I think it is good and it is bad to see this engine formula.

I understand the "need" for efficiency with car manufacturer's, but Allan said it already: We want the peak of engine development and design possibilities in Formula 1. We don't want to see the same engine in WRC, WTCC and in F1, as it would not - in my mind - be the top of racing anymore.