Formula 1 will introduce new graphics to promote the sophistication of its hybrid power units at the next round of the championship in Brazil.
With concern over climate change prompting greater scrutiny of companies environmental credentials, F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali said the sport wants to ensure people understand how efficient its power units are.“We are going to start actually to remind all of us who we are,” Domenicali told Sky. “We have today, since 2014, the most efficient hybrid engine and this is something that we need to remember.
“That’s why you will see, for example, in Brazil, we’re going to have a new logo just to remind us who we are because sometimes it’s easy to crucify someone without knowing exactly what it’s doing.”
F1 power units achieved 50% thermal efficiency in 2017, meaning more than half of the energy in the fuel its engines uses is converted into power. This makes them significantly more efficient than typical road car engines, including hybrids. RaceFans understands the series intends to promote the power units as the world’s most efficient engine.
The series previously announced plans to introduce a fully synthetic fuel formula in 2030 which will drastically cut its emissions. Domenicali said they plan to introduce the same fuel into junior categories as well.
“I believe and we believe that we can offer an alternative solution to […] this trend of electrification,” he said. “The objective we have is to have a drop-in fuel that we can offer to the world [for] the billions of cars that are all around the world.”
“I do believe that we are much more current to focus on this priority for us, offering to OEMs [original equipment manufacturers] and to the world something that will be very beneficial and very effective with the right price in order to be serious.”
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Yaru (@yaru)
6th November 2021, 21:04
As it should.
Euro Brun (@eurobrun)
7th November 2021, 0:54
Steady.. they shouldn’t rush these things! 😜
BasCB (@bascb)
8th November 2021, 7:05
Indeed, about 6 years late, but better now than never @yaru, @eurobrun!
Electroball76
6th November 2021, 21:24
Shame that hybrid engines are already looking a bit obsolete. And all those trucks, planes, hotels, media, spectators, etc still have a heavy footprint.
Tommy C (@tommy-c)
6th November 2021, 21:39
Only 7 years too late… probably could have helped bat away some of the criticism about the sound in 2014. Better late than never I suppose!
Alan Dove
6th November 2021, 21:46
Show, don’t tell. These engines are all tell and no show.
If you throw a V12 on the grid no one cares about piston speed or revs or whatever, they just go “what on earth is THAT?”.
The modern motors don’t LOOK brutal and they sound rubbish. No amount of “WELL ACTUALLY….” is gonna change that.
There’s always a market for the technical aspect of F1, as there should be, but it’s like music. A music can be utterly remarkable in construction, but if you don’t marry that with something that people can listen to and enjoy, it’s meaningless.
This just sounds political as F1 is trying to portray itself as culturally and technically relevant because they know what’s coming is going to be very very very hard on motorsport in general.
János
6th November 2021, 23:28
I certainly miss the old V10s, but how are the hybrid engines “meaningless”?
Yes, the sound is only a shadow of what it once was, but when you’re at the track they still sound great.
And don’t forget about the almost 1000HP they generate and the insane lap times!
Alan Dove
7th November 2021, 8:06
I’ve been at the track when the new hybrid was out behind a 92 Williams. Not sure ‘great’ is the word I’d describe.
The meaningless term is reference to my analogy to music. You can create a microtonal piece of music that’s an absolute marvel of musical technicalities. The issue is, unless it actually vibes with normal humans it’s a meaningless demonstration of technical skill. You could write 100 essays on Ben Joshson music – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wp7VjBtOJ74 – and its microtonality… but I might be boring you already?
Also the lap times aren’t insane. The 2004 cars were equally as fast if not for having to qualify on race fuel and run grooved tyres. I still think their ‘race times’ were faster back then. The lap times are just a product of what the FIA will allowed within the technical regulations. We could be lapping MUHC faster if the rules weren’t so tight.
And 1000hp is nothing. We’ve had 1400+ bint he 80s with cars that weighed a whole lot less.
Sure you can ‘tell’ me why the engines are amazing, but that’s the problem. This is pure politics. F1 is panicing because they know that with the mood music going towards environmentalism they are on shaky grounds. They are trying to avoid being a target of the eco-crew and are trying to demonstrate some form of ‘relevance’ in the debate. These graphics aren’t really about showing off the engines as much as staving off political attacks. We’re not stupid.
Nick T.
7th November 2021, 1:05
I’ve found it ironic that F1 has been worrying about everything except the elephant in the room. That manufacturer interest in F1 could be dead within 3-5 years if it does not go all electric. It’s why I think they should be focused on privateers/independents and ICE power units that are exciting for spectators and don’t pretend to be relevant to road technology.
ryanoceros (@ryanoceros)
7th November 2021, 7:09
Absolutely. This would save a lot of money and the cars would also be lighter. The carbon footprint of a simple ICE would be smaller. They could sound amazing.
Alan Dove
7th November 2021, 8:11
F1 and Liberty want the teams to be billion pound operations. They are trying to walk a tight rope. They need the big manufacturers to make this possible.
ICE engines in light cars WOULD be amazing, but this is about politics and business. They are playing a good game. They are just keeping enough of the petrol element not to alienate its core fanbase. We’ll see.
Ciaran (@ciaran)
6th November 2021, 22:12
Great ideas, though I wish they had introduced them in 2014, rather than those awful fuel flow graphics we had to suffer through!
Hybrid is still relevant, as electric is still in no position to provide the amount of energy an F1 race needs. Thankfully this sets up a longer transition period (if at all), where F1 can assess its identity and hopefully keep motorsport relevant.
Alan Dove
6th November 2021, 22:27
‘Keep motorsport relevant’?
Motorsport and F1 are almost two separate entities.
Fer no.65 (@fer-no65)
6th November 2021, 22:24
Just another marketing scheme.
jlb
6th November 2021, 22:43
In 2014 some graphics indicating battery capacity in lap where introduced and scraped the next year…
Alan Dove
7th November 2021, 8:09
Back then they weren’t engaging in a political battle to stave off attention form the environmentalists who if they spent 5 minutes assessing F1 would see it really has almost NO green credentials. This isn’t about the fans and ‘showing’ how amazing the engines are. No one cares about how efficient an engine is. It’s about trying to look like they have ‘green’ values. Pure politics.
vjanik (@vjanik)
7th November 2021, 9:37
I thought by new graphic, they might show the state of drivers batteries or what ERS state they are in. That would be cool. In the ePrix its cool to see the strategy of drivers and the graphics showing how much battery they have, and when they are using overtake.
But apparently they will just show a logo to remind everyone how amazing they are.