New engines more powerful than expected

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In the round-up: Mercedes say F1’s new V6 turbos, which were expected to produce around 600bhp, are actually giving closer to 700bhp.

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“Drei Mal so viele Teile wie fr???her” (Auto Motor und Sport – German)

Mercedes’s Andy Cowell says the approximate output of the new V6 turbo engines is around 700ps (690bhp) before the estimated extra 150bhp from the Energy Recovery Systems is added, giving F1 cars more power than estimated when the new regulations were devised.

F1 in push to shake up qualifying rules (Autosport)

“[Proposals] include forcing the ten drivers who make it through to Q3 to start the race on the set of tyres that they set their best Q2 lap on.”

Bernie Ecclestone backs Mercedes for 2014 title (The Hindu)

“The way things worked out at Jerez, Mercedes seem best prepared to succeed with Rosberg winning the title.”

How to breed a new generation of car enthusiasts (Autocar)

“Six packs of Lego later – an F1 car, an F1 support truck, an F40, a Berlinetta 250 GT, a 458 Italia and an FXX – and he was hooked. McLaren, for now, is history as far as my boy’s concerned. Ferrari has history: fast cars, racing cars and Lego cars. That’s as good as it gets.”

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Comment of the day

With the new engines offering drivers considerable scope for attacking and defending their rivals, does F1 have another reason to scrap its sticking plaster solution to overtaking?

If it weren’t for DRS then this would have been really interesting. A chasing driver may have been able to overtake, only for the other driver to reverse the positions – both knowing that they can’t keep swapping places without burning through their fuel too quickly and then both dropping back through the field.

As it is, with DRS, they’ll just breeze past each other, and use that extra performance to pull ahead out of DRS range.
Rich Rigby

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On this day in F1

Today in 1994 Damon Hill suffered a major crash at the wheel of an interim Williams FW15D at the Circuit de Catalunya.

The team were still yet to reveal their definitive car for the new season but Benetton already had their new B194 up and running. Michael Schumacher got behind the wheel of it for the first time on the same day, lapping the circuit in 1’18.9.

Image © Mercedes/Hoch Zwei

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128 comments on “New engines more powerful than expected”

  1. Oh that proposal for the use of Q2 tyres at the start of the race is just ludicrous. How can’t they figure out, with their enlightened minds, that such a rule has to be scraped and hasn’t any place in F1? How!?

    1. Meant scrapped there, obviously.

    2. The idea is to get people to run in Q3. We have seen too many instances where drivers have decided against running in Q3 to save tyres.

      The new number regulations have forced a change in qualifying procedure. In the past, drivers who did not run in Q3 took their grid places based on their car numbers. Since that is no longer feasible, drivers who do not run in Q3 will now be assigned places based on their FP3 times. This raises the possibility of drivers treating FP3 as a qualifying session to set a fast time, then doing the bare minimum to get to Q3 the next day and skipping Q3 entirely, using their FP3 time to get a high grid place and then starting the race on their choice of tyre.

      As soon as one driver started doing it, everyone would, and qualifying would become a farce.

      1. This is *easy* to fix.

        “Starting in 2014, the 107% rule applies to all three sessions. That is all.”

    3. Q3 shootout would be Great. One lap!

    4. I quite like this rule. Everyone will run Q3 flat out without compromise. It actually solves a problem for once, lol

      1. Extra set of tires is great but why on the earth they decided that Q2 tires have to be used in the start of the race? It doesnt make any sense… It would had been too great to get rid of that stupidity too :-(

    5. Why is it ludicrous?

  2. So, when will we see rules that reward the adventurous and the risk takers?

    Last season at least, watching those who stayed in their garage (because they knew it’d pay off to not do a Q3 run) was barrels of fun.

    1. Drivers should all be allowed to start the race on fresh tyres. They don’t need to add any new set of tyres, just kill the rule forcing drivers to start the race on the same tyres they’ve set their best time.

      1. No!No! Drivers that struggle to qualify shouldn’t be penalized. Be ause of a lack of tyres top teams would run less times as possible and the other teams would waist tyres through the ranks leaving them with another reason not to run in q3, the tyre allocation is the biggest issue. Just give a sensible allocation for qualifying only. Stop adding sweetners, you’re ruining the taste.

        1. Why should the best drivers be penilesed?

          1. The best drivers tend to use less tyres to set a good time. Out, set time, in… where is the mid and rear field will do more laps. So being allowed to start on new tyres is kind of a safe heaven for them. I don’t see it as a penalty at all. I see it as an advantage to the person who uses the least tyres to set the best time.

        2. Just fix the tyres, not Q3.

        3. Best drivers or best tea+driver combo?

          1. *team+driver

  3. They include forcing the 10 drivers who make it through to Q3 to start the race on the set of tyres that they set their best Q2 lap on.

    That means that there will be no incentive to sit out Q3.

    Another solution to a problem that would not exist if they just drop that stupid rule of starting the race with the Qualy tyres…

    And people still wonder what’s wrong with F1…

    1. The only problem with that is that it makes perfect sense so it won’t happen. The sooner they separate qualifying and the race (in terms of tyres) the better. Then my dream of the return of a one hour qualifying session might become a reality and I might actually get to see the majority of everyone’s laps AS THEY DO THEM as opposed to having to wait for the onboard of the fastest lap AFTER the session is finished. Ok, I need to stop before I get really angry at the current state of F1.

      1. So, you want qualifying to be boring? With the one hour system, top teams(even mid teams) don’t go to the track in the first 40 minutes…
        Or do you want the one-lap-per-driver system back? Again, boring and also unfair.

        1. All a matter of opinion and I’ve never watched a hour qualifying session where the mid to top teams didn’t go out in the first 40 mins unless conditions were bad. I want to see more laps and to me that isn’t boring.

          1. The beauty of what F1 currently has, with the 3 phases of qualifying, is that the top guys have to do at least 3 timed laps, spread over most of the qualifying sessions @racectrl.
            During those times when it was just a period of time without lap limits to understand what it worked like, just look at FP3 sessions where the top teams come out for a lap only in the last 10-15 minutes. In the early stages it would be just the backmarkers trying to get a run in before traffic, and the odd driver who was still tinkering with setup. It was really only that little action, especially when there were 2 hour long sessions during the weekend.

          2. All a matter of opinion and I’ve never watched a hour qualifying session where the mid to top teams didn’t go out in the first 40 mins unless conditions were bad.

            I have, frequently, well the first 30 minutes anyway.

      2. Then my dream of the return of a one hour qualifying session might become a reality and I might actually get to see the majority of everyone’s laps AS THEY DO THEM as opposed to having to wait for the onboard of the fastest lap AFTER the session is finished.

        @racectr I haven’t really thought about it that way before, but it makes sense. The current qualifying format creates a lot of tension, but you don’t really get to see anything because everyone does their lap at the same time. So I agree that the older format would be better than the current one.

        1. You get it. It does create tension but 80% of the laps are completely missed in that you will never ever see them. You’ll never see Alonso’s lap that got him fifth or that surprise 3rd from Botas. Quite often you would only see the last 3rd of the pole position lap. They try to make it up to you by showing the onboard after the session but by then it’s too late.
          My favourite early memories are of watching Schumacher leaving the pits to do his final run in his Ferrari, having to beat a fast lap from a Mclaren. You’d get to see him wrestle his Ferrari around every sector, EVERY corner. You would literally live that lap with him and see every tiny mistake or oversteer moment or just witness pure perfection. I miss those days.

        2. @andae23 that’s why I loved the old 1 lap per driver qualy style. You could see EVERY driver. It was very nice to watch.

          Of course, not interesting enough for a lot of people, but I think it was the best format. The only problem was the order in which they did the laps.

        3. @andae23, without the 3 phase qualifying you get 20 cars on the track in the last 5 minutes and 45-50 mins of empty track, even the tail enders understand track evolution.

    2. @fer-no65 people are not wondering whats wrong with F1. everyone thinks they know whats wrong with F1.

  4. So the rule makers are somehow bored again, and now want to tinker with Qualifying…

    *sigh* If it ain’t broke…

    1. It is broke though currently. I’ve lost count of the the number of incredibly dramatic and tight Q2 sessions we see at different Grand Prix, then ruined by the pre-meditated comedown that is 5-6 driver Q3 shootouts, in a supposed ‘battle’ for pole – restricted by the current tyre rules.

      1. Who cares? It’s QUALIFYING, not the actual race.

        Moreover, instead of anticipating people just sitting in the garages, why not wait to see if it actually happens? The worst thing to do is change all rules at once, that way when something works out you don’t know which one or two rules worked and the other 50 that didn’t work. Much like DRS and KERS; one of them should have been implemented first, then the other if the non-passing was still a ‘problem’.

    2. I think in this case it is broke. When drivers who go out and qualify are punished in the race there’s a problem. Easy solution.. remove the rule.

    3. Qualifying is “broke” though in the sense that in Q3 drivers are sitting out to save tyres. I think the current format is excellent other than that.

      1. Agreed. Would be grateful for a way to encourage Q3 participation without tampering with the rest of it.

        1. @bullmello it’s really quite simple: remove the top 10 must start on the tyres they qualified on rule. Then there is no strategic advantage to be gained by having the option (excuse the pun) to start on the prime tyre over the other top 10 runners, so they will automatically feel more inclined to set a time.

          1. @vettel1 But it’s not that simple. That rule was there in the first place to slightly equalize the field by giving some advantage to those who started outside the top 10. Now the question is are we willing to go the other “the rich get richer” way? IMO no, the advantage of the top teams is too big already. Otherwise why don’t we go to the 12 lap/60 mins format and kill the minnow teams by doing that? I’m not exaggerating here at all. I remember how that format was. Everybody sitting in the pits waiting for half an hour doing nothing while once in a few mins a random Prost would go out just to get some small exposure time for sponsors, to no avail, as instead of showing the flying lap the stupid director was showing MSC sitting in his car in the pits looking serious

            To sum it up, IMO the proposal that Q3 cars would start the race on the tires they’d set their best Q2 lap on is a fair one

          2. @vettel1 – Makes sense to me. Hope it makes sense to the FIA.

          3. @vettel1 so simple.

            I don’t get FIA… they can be even worse than FIFA.

        2. Each driver gets one set of “qualifying” tires that they can use during any (or all) Q sessions. The 107% rule is in effect for all three qualifying sessions. If you’re allowed to start the race after not making the 107% cut-off time in a session, you start from the pitlane.

      2. You do realise that in Q3 we don’t get to see 80% of the laps completed because everyone is doing their laps at the same time? I fail to see why it’s a great format. The one hour/12 lap format worked flawlessly for decades. I’d love to see it return.

        1. I agree that not getting to see most of the Q3 laps is a failure in the current format. I’d like to see Q1 and Q2 stay as it is. However, for Q3 the top 10 drivers go out one at a time for a single flying lap in reverse order of their Q2 times. Q2 would be more competitive as drivers could gain a strategic advantage by going later in Q3, the suspense/build up to the final laps could be intense, and we would get to enjoy watching all 10 top laps – on-boards and all.

          1. In other words, use the top ten shootout format v8 supercars uses. Sounds good to me!

          2. Very good system you have thought out there, especially in spicing up the Q2 session. Also, only having one attempt in Q3 will add pressure and jumble up the grid for the race but most importantly, we get to enjoy every lap from the top 10. I love it.

        2. The one hour/12 lap format worked flawlessly for decades.

          The 1Hr 12 lap format was only actually around from 1996.

          From 1993-1996 there were 2 1hr 12 lap sessions.

          Pre 1993 there were 2 1 hour sessions with no lap limits.

          1. Ha. Thanks for adding the detail. Unlimited laps or 12 laps, it doesn’t matter. I want teams/drivers to have the freedom of when they do their laps and I want everyones laps spread out over an hour so we see more.

          2. the only format that gave us speed laps nicely spaced out over the whole time during the Q session was the time they had single 1 lap runs in reverse order of their championship places (or was it last race results?). It was tedious, it was unfair for those having to do an early run (track evolution) and it made a single mistake could ruin a weekend.
            On the other hand, the formats with no limits to when teams had to do their quick laps meant that because of track evolution no one sane would even do more than a shake off before the last 10-12 minutes, because track evolution meant it would just be a waste. If you think its bad when the top 10 go out towards the last 3-4 minutes of Q3 now, just think about seeing only a max chilton or the odd guy who had his car repaired go out for 40 minutes and then have all cars push for a lap in the last 20-15 minutes.

            I have seen many formats and the current one really is closest to offering a fair competition while also having a real fight for pole. It only needs doing away with the starting on Q3 tyres and it would be perfect.
            Thing is, if you let the teams choose when to run

      3. Chris (@tophercheese21)
        7th February 2014, 1:22

        I think with more durable tyres this year, we will seldom see drivers not going out in Q3. It should be fine hopefully. It was just the ultra delicate tyres last year that made Q3 more of a strategic decision than it should have been for most teams.

      4. @dd42,@bullmello,@vettel1, actually it is the tyres that are broke, Q3 worked fine until we got the silly tyres.

      5. DD42 who broke it? Why is it this way? Because there isn’t a set allocation for qualifying, the fia want the top 10 to run on the tyres drivers set their best time, and it is the tyre allocation the culprit for teams to bypass that desire by the fia, but no the fia believes that teams would give up track position for 3 laps and choice of compound, perhaps they seldom would which would be interesting but the norm is that teams want to run the 2nd and 3rd stint with the youngest tyres they can get, if given the hypothesis of saving on the 1st they will. How many times did Vettel run new or ewer tyres on the mid stints, i don’t recall force india for example having that chance in the end it is as simple as this, if you look into qualys in 2013 top teams would run less in q1,2 perhaps 2 flying laps in q1 and 1 hot lap in q2 leaving 1 or 2 hot laps in q3, whereas a team that made it to q3 often went for the same hot laps but on q1 and 2 only leaving them with a dilemma that being that to gain a couple positions or to start the race with a new set or newer set. With the new rule of the q3 having to start with q2 tyrez team will instead of aiming to the q3 and then not run they will aim for 11th.

    4. @scottie I think some people have short memories! You’re right, and the current system is not only working pretty well but is by far the best we’ve ever had. Last time they started tinkering it took years and some horrific attempts to get to what we’ve got now.

      Given that Pirelli are already bringing harder compounds this year and strategy is going to be quite different to recent years I don’t think we can know how the current system will work under the current regulations until it’s been tried. If it turns out it doesn’t work then the time to make changes would be 2015.

      1. Simple solution is to have drivers start on the same tyre compound they set their fastest lap! That way no one is penalised for choosing a particular strategy.

  5. So Mercedes really do have 100 bhp advantage over Renault. In an interview with Ted Kravits, a Renault engineer stated that their engine (without ERS) only produced 600 bph.

    I wonder where Ferrari ranks in all of this.

    1. Don’t believe everything you read.

    2. @kingshark

      So Mercedes really do have 100 bhp advantage over Renault.

      Why worry about this?? It´s obvious they are not going to be in the running for WCC this year.

      I wonder where Ferrari ranks in all of this.

      This on the other hand really has me puzzled. They obviously built something reliable but I wonder how powerful it is since there was a fair share of sandbagging in Jerez!
      Personally I just hope MERC blows up more than once in the year.

      1. @karter22 ” It´s obvious they are not going to be in the running for WCC this year.”
        How so?

      2. @karter22

        This on the other hand really has me puzzled. They obviously built something reliable but I wonder how powerful it is since there was a fair share of sandbagging in Jerez!

        This article is nothing but positive
        http://www.f1zone.net/news/ferrari-race-ahead-with-consumption-and-cooling/25629/

        1. @kingshark
          Finally saw this and it really is positive! Now I can feel a little more secure about this season´s outcome!

    3. The 700hp figure is just a number that the interviewer made up. Andy Cowell never said that that is the real power the new PU has. The number that the interviewer gives us about the fuel limit of the cars in the 80’s is complete BS. I don’t recall a fuel flow restriction back then, so I don’t know why he comes with those calculations.
      The first question and subsequent answer of the interview, might be more revealing: they’re looking for a 40% efficiency on those V6’s compared to the 30% efficiency of the V8’s.

    4. No where does it specifically say that Mercedes ONLY gets about 100 hp more, it says “F1’s turbo engines” have more power. In this day and age with such superlative engineering at all three suppliers, they will be very very close in power output, but will each have different characteristics and engine mapping as to how that power is delivered. One make of engine may suit a certain driving style or track configuration, and to me, this is what brings some of the old engine competition back into play. They will sound different from each other and will work differently too.

      Start those engines!

  6. Apparently the brake by wire system is completely necessary due to ERS interference at the rear axle, but I don’t know too much about the technicalities of it. Also I don’t like saying it, but the constant DRS whining is starting to get annoying…

    1. But not half as annoying as DRS.

  7. “The way things worked out at Jerez, Mercedes seem best prepared to succeed with Rosberg winning the title.”

    Bernie tipping Mercedes for the championship seems logical, but does he truly believe that Nico will beat Lewis?

    1. He is just trying to wind people up, i guess. It wouldn’t be the first time. I would expect Lewis to win that battle more convincingly this year, but i guess the danger is that if they keep taking points of each other it brings other drivers into play.

    2. If you read the whole article it seems he is just saying that if you make a blatant estimation off of the Jerez test you have a Mercedes/Rosberg championship.

    3. Bernie tipping Mercedes for the championship seems logical, but does he truly believe that Nico will beat Lewis

      Of course he´s tipping Mercedes for the WCC, they have throwing any amount of $ at this project. Bernie is a $-hungry-streetwalker, he`ll go with whomever is throwing more cash at his “baby”. As for tipping NICO, well, I guess he just doesn´t wand another 2-time WDC!

    4. I think Bernie is not a fan of Lewis Hamilton and his statement should be a mix of wishful thinking and logic.

      1. BErnie is a fan of whatever he thinks will make F1 more “exciting” and a bigger show @jcost. He was pretty active in getting Hamilton to move to Mercedes as well, to spice things up. As mentioned above, his statement is more or less going from Mercedes doing most laps and Rosberg setting the faster of those laps and most of them during the test.

    5. Remember that the question was asked by an Indian journo and out here they no nothing about Formula 1 except a few.

      Bernie was asked to predict so he muttered an answer in a typical ‘bernie-sensical’ style.

      He even tipped Force India to win a race. So you know how it was with that interview.

      1. @neelv27

        Remember that the question was asked by an Indian journo and out here they no nothing about Formula 1 except a few.

        Is it really necessary to have to a good knowledge of everything in F1 before you ask the F1 boss, “Who do you think will win the championship with the new regulations?” Its a simple question.

        He even tipped Force India to win a race.

        No, he didnt. All he said was that he would love to see them win and is confident that they can acheive. Thats it. Ask any F1 fan, there could be a possibility that a midfield could win a race this season. Why not FI?

        So you know how it was with that interview.

        What!!?? Man, did you even read the interview?

        1. Is it really necessary to have to a good knowledge of everything in F1 before you ask the F1 boss, “Who do you think will win the championship with the new regulations?”

          In 2014 with so much uncertainty, Yes it is!

          No, he didnt. All he said was that he would love to see them win and is confident that they can acheive.

          It means the same thing.

          What!!?? Man, did you even read the interview?

          Yes I read the interview and that’s why I commented dude!

          1. @neelv27

            In 2014 with so much uncertainty, Yes it is!

            So you mean, someone well aware of the new regulation is not supposed to ask this question? Ex-A weatherman is not supposed to ask if it is going to rain tommorow jus coz there is change in equipment?

            It means the same thing.

            Hoping for something to happen doesnt mean its a prediction to happen!
            For the last 4 years, Ferrari hoped to win the championship, some predicted, but they never did. So, not the same.

            Yes I read the interview and that’s why I commented dude!

            And all you got was that its was just ‘typical bernie-sensical’ style???

    6. And on top of all the others have said, a new champion would probably gain more exposure than 2-times champion.

    7. @kingshark think about this though; predicting a german marque and a german to win the WCC and WDC respectively while he’s currently prosecuted in a german court… I wouldn’t be surprised that is pure tactics. But also, hasn’t Bernie predicted every champion correctly during preseason since at least 2009?

  8. FIA motto: If it ain’t broke, pulverise it into a fine powder and flush it down the sewer.

    Weirdly, the FIA only fiddle like this with F1. No other FIA series has double-points (Le Mans excepted), or DRS, or starting a race on qualifying tyres.

    Thinking about it, the ACO seems pretty sensible; can they run F1 instead? Pretty please?

    1. No other series has Bernie.

    2. As far as I can recall, the WEC does start the race on their qualifying tires, except at Le Mans. Their qualifying also uses the top two times from each of their two drivers (again, except at Le Mans), so the tires are at least 8 laps old for the start. It is slightly odd, but it does fit with the endurance philosophy.

      1. As far as I can recall, the WEC does start the race on their qualifying tires

        Which is OK if it’s applied to the whole field.

      2. @mrguy037l I believe LeMans is also a MUCH longer lap than any other circuit they race on in the WEC, so not starting on qualy tires could be a bit smarter, though their tires aren’t made to disappear after 8 laps…

  9. God I love these V6-Turbo-Super-KERS engines more and more each day!

    1. Me too. No earmuffs and they sound like jet engines! They actually sound super-powerful, rather than just screaming their lungs out.

      1. +1
        More grunt.

  10. The new Q2 tyres proposal really highlights the problems in current F1.

    The rule makers have realised the issue of Q3 race tyres and employed a logic that not only aggravates die-hard fans of the sport but confuses the casual fan as well. Both audiences are effected by a rule made against the purity of racing.

    For once, the desires of teams and drivers are aligned to that of the fan, just let them choose their tyres!

    1. Yes, instead of solving the problem the easiest way – by taking away the rule that the top 10 starts on their qualifying tyres – they make it even more concocted and change that so that they have to start on their Q2 tyres, which really does not solve much at all, apart from making sure that teams will try to limit their Q2 running now.

  11. I hope they decide to give the top ten an extra set of tyres to qualify on. Reward drivers for reaching Q3, instead of the current system that punishes them.

    But this Strategy Group doesn’t have a great record so far, and I expect it will come up with a much worse idea that we haven’t even imagined yet.

    1. I wouldn’t mind keeping the ‘Start on the tyre that qualified on’ if they introduced the ‘Gain an extra set of tyres’ aspect to the rule, assuming the drivers set a competitive time in Q3.

      Surely, this is the best situation for all the different parties?

  12. 850bhp‽ That’s higher than we ever reached in the V8 era, and not too far off the V10’s but with a significant increase in fuel efficiency over both.

    This is why F1 needs these engines.

    1. Well the fuel efficiency is yet to be seen, but fingers crossed.

      1. @hohum true, but if they are performing above all predictions then I am very positive in my outlook :)

        Absolutely also @bullmello: I particularly love the constantly spooled turbo, that is a very clever idea.

    2. And the fact that so much power is available at the low end of the power curve makes it better yet.

    3. 850hp .. well, in qualifying. In the race, possibly only at the start and then turning it down. So yes their powerfull, but not all through the race.

      1. @me4me: It was the same with the V8s – different engine maps were available through the race for more power or more economy. And teams would under-fuel to save weight. Not running at full power is nothing new.

    4. All Renault powered cars finishing a lap behind?

      1. They will fix it before Oz, won’t they?

        #fingerscrossed

    5. @vettel1

      850bhp‽ That’s higher than we ever reached in the V8 era, and not too far off the V10′s

      Although it does seem impressive Max, what good is it going to be if we´re going to see everybody saving fuel? They might be powerful but they can´t make a race distance at full throttle or at least like the v8´s or v10´s did. Previous seasons we were robbed beause of the tyres, THIS season, we will get robbed because of fuel consumption!

      1. @karter22, and next season we will be robbed by the tyres, the fuel saving and the development freeze (except for Honda McLaren)

    6. More power could be good, and if they either change the regulations or figure out new tricks that will bring back the grip, then we might see faster lap times as well.

  13. Once again the powers that be show that they are so ignorant of the realities of the rules they foist on F1 that they cannot anticipate the OBVIOUS result. It’s really simple d—head, everybody should start on NEW tyres.

    1. Hallelujah!

  14. “The move has come after concerns were expressed in the recent F1 Strategy Group meeting that drivers may be more inclined this season to not run in Q3 in a bid to save tyres for the race”.

    I might be missing something at this time of night, but how are drivers more inclined to do that this season than any of the previous eight seasons? I thought that had always been a problem with the current format (as much as it is a very good one). They may be more inclined to save the engine but the tyres?

    1. The silly tyres are what created the problem in the 1st place, I hope Bernie hasn’t pressured Pirelli into going back on their announced plan for CONSERVATIVE tyre compounds this year.

  15. An extra set of the softer compound tires (qualifying only) for the Q3 group would seem to make sense. I suppose that would also mean that the Q3 teams would then (finally) be able to start the event on their choice of tires from the race allotment. Probably won’t fly.

  16. Where do you find robot that brings $30 million to the team for just to be there? :)

    1. Usually around 6th in the GP2 championship…

      1. The higher your championship position, the less money you have. Just ask Frijns :D

  17. And let’s not forget that these are first generation engines. Imagine power, reliability and efficiency next season and beyond. They’re just getting their heads around these things.

  18. Bernies knack for always picking a German to be champion is becoming un-nerving now. Was he and former F1 boss Max Mosley German in their previous life?

    1. Bernie admired Hitler for his ability to get things done, as did Max’s dad, maybe they also have a soft spot for blond blue eyed boys.

  19. The Andy Cowell interview is certainly very interesting if read in full. Andy doesn’t really confirm how powerful the engine is exactly. What he does discuss in detail is the fact that engines will only be run at a max 10.500 rpm as this is when max allowed fuel flow is reached. This would certainly explain the more muted sound that the engines are making this season.

    1. How is the current F1 sound related to the sound of the turbo’s back in de 1980’s? Where they a lot louder back then?

    2. Not quite, he says they won’t run much above 10,500 rpm as it reduces efficiencies. I would expect them them to never be run above an rpm level so that when you shift up, rpm are still above 10,500. But certainly they will run above 10,500 rpm.

  20. I want q3 to be a shoot out. One lap.

  21. Now what happens if the Ferrari and Renault engines only produce 600bhp?

    1. Then hopefully at the very least we get some competitive racing between mercedes and maclaren drivers. But also, maximum power might not be the most important factor in performance this season, maybe it will be efficiency of the system over a race distance. Merc cars could lock out the first 3 rows on the grid but fall back during the race. We won’t really know anything until the end of the first race.

      I hope engine performance is relatively even across the manufacturers though, tortoise and hare type racing doesn’t really appeal. But i doubt the gaps will be as big as people expect, the fuel regulations should mean everyone is in the same ballpark.

  22. If they insist on keeping the top ten drivers on the ste they qualifed on then wouldn’t the logical solution to those who have qualified for Q3, but chose not to run, then be forced to use the tyres they qualified for Q3?

    So if Driver A Qualifies 8th in Q2 on Tyre set A, but then don’t set a time in Q3, they will then have to start on the same Tyre Set A they used in Q2 but in 10th position.
    Meanwhile the Driver B and Driver C who qualifies 9th and 10th respectively do set times in Q3 on Tyre Set B They then will start on Tyre Set B and regardless of their qualifying time start ahead of Drive A in at least 8th and 9th position.
    That would take away any incentive to not do a proper run. You could add in a rule saying they must set a time with 103% of their Q2 time. That would mean they cant just do a slow installation lap to save their tyres either.
    So it would be pointless to skip Q3 as you’d have to run on used tyres anyway as well as automatically being pushed back to the lower grid positions.

    Even if all the drivers skipped Q3. The top ten would all have to run on their Q2 tyres in the order they qualified for Q3, so who ever was fastest in Q2 would end up on pole. But this is unlikely going to happen because the guy who qualified 10th would surely like the chance to be on pole and jump the other 9 who chose to stay in their garage. So at worst they all make a mad dash in the last 5 mins of Q3 for a single run.

  23. Make this simple!
    Give all cars a certain number of tires of 3 different compounds
    for each weekend and then let them do as they please.

    1. They currently have that with two compounds and we have a situation where in qualifying cars choose not to run and in the races they’re not driving as fast as they can…

  24. So, upwards to 850bhp, this with reduced down force, even with the extra weight… Are we likely to see higher top-speeds from the cars?

  25. The system of saving electrical energy before using it to overtake is appealing to me. It’s like F1’s version of push to pass. Now they need to get rid of DRS more than ever.

  26. “New engines more powerful than expected” the reporting is a bucketful of BS, the calculations quoted belongs entirely to the interviewer and not to Andy Cowel.

    1. A good IC engine is expected to produce a max of 600hp at 10500rpm, above this rpm fuel flow will start to diminish and therefore above 10500rpm the IC engine will not be producing any more power.

  27. I’m truly curious if a racing series can come to fruition where there are no restrictions whatsoever. I know there USED to be series run like this… I know they’ll need guaranteed income from TV coverage and/or race fees for the winners, etc… But on a purely theoretical stage, can a group of teams come together and form a series where active aero, traction control, electronic suspension is normal; where V12, V10, and V6 cars mix it with gasoline, biofueled, and/or diesel fueled vehicles, with or without ERS can come together to race once a month and stay solvent?

  28. Mark Webber on Question of Sport Now 19:30

  29. Mark Webber is on Question of Sport BBC1 7:30pm tonight

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