Turbos coming back to F1 in 2011?
Way back in the era known as the '80s, Formula One cars outfitted with turbos were making upwards of 1,500 HP, from engines as small as 1.5-liters. As time wore on and power went up accordingly, turbochargers were banned in the never-ending quest to bring power and development costs out of the stratosphere. Fast-forward over two decades later, and environmental concerns have made FIA president, Max Mosley reconsider the snail-ban.
During a conference in Munich this week, Mosley announced that a reintroduction of forced induction might take place by 2011. The lifting of the ban will not result in another horsepower arms race, but intends to make F1 vehicles more environmentally sound. Bio-fuel would become the prerequisite explosive material and revs would be kept above 15,000 RPM.
The article also hinted at Mosley's retirement, likely to take place in 2010.
[Source: Formula1.com]
Get a WordPress.com Blog
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Disco Stu 6:19PM (11/18/2006)
Unfortunately... I'm old enough to remember the turbo cars from the 80's. The biofuel idea is cool though.
Thumbs up
Reply
Dan 7:44PM (11/18/2006)
15,000 rpm? Does this mean that the furious F1 engine noise is gone? This is really saddening. The high pitch engine sound was probably the most distinctive characteristic of this motorsport.
Reply
epp_b 7:55PM (11/18/2006)
["15,000 rpm? Does this mean that the furious F1 engine noise is gone? This is really saddening. The high pitch engine sound was probably the most distinctive characteristic of this motorsport."]
Um...what? It says *above* 15,000 RPM.
Reply
pd 8:42PM (11/18/2006)
I remember those turbo days, the BMW turbo four cylinders were like a hand grenade in qualifying trim!
Reply
Richard 9:35PM (11/18/2006)
Max! 2010! Your killing me..and the sport I love. How about now?
Reply
Prius Power in San Marino 10:12PM (11/18/2006)
The post is so preoccupied with turbos that it forgets to mention that HYBRIDS are now seriously on the table. Roll that up and smoke it, regenerative braking haters. Widespread hybrid proliferation is economically feasible and productive when the FIA says it is!
Reply
chewy 2:08AM (11/19/2006)
Sweet.
Reply
AndyF 4:14AM (11/19/2006)
#6, with all due respect, hybrid engines in an F1 car?!! You have to be kidding...Just think about the size of the battery and electric motor they would need (plus all that added weight).
Reply
rico05 9:09AM (11/19/2006)
It is refreshing to see a major sanctioning body take such a progressive stance on technology benefiting not only the participants of the series, but the entire automotive community proper. Seeing such technologies as hybrid drive and regenerative braking, as well as alternative fuels, on the table will surely allow for a trickle-down to the production car level. Remember: the best engineers in the industry are working at the F1 level, so to see comapnies such as Toyota, Honda, and Renault working with the new rules will surely see a payoff for the consumer. Let us just hope that the future of consumer level energy conservation will be a high performance one!
Reply
bathtub gin 9:43AM (11/19/2006)
#6 ["Roll that up and smoke it, regenerative braking haters. Widespread hybrid proliferation is economically feasible and productive when the FIA says it is!"]
I'd like to hit some of what you've been smoking. FIA says it's feasible? How many manufacturers have FIA, FISA, and whoever else chased out of Formula 1 because of their complete ignorance and/or disdain for what is economically feasible? Hybrid production is economically feasible if and when the market dictates it is, not some sactioning body. I am not a hybrid-hater (in fact, I like the idea - tax break for me, less money to the Middle East and Fidel Jr.), but the substance has a ways to go before it catches up with the hype.
Reply
Hawk 10:57AM (11/19/2006)
1,500HP from a 1.5L engine? My 1.5L engine makes 109HP. I want what he's having.
Reply
Bob-o 11:34AM (11/19/2006)
"1,500HP from a 1.5L engine? My 1.5L engine makes 109HP. I want what he's having."
Sure. Do you have a couple hundred thousand to drop each day for your commute? Pay up for the fuel, and the new engine every 150-200 miles and I bet you could have similar performance. That's after the cost of developing it.
Screw the F1 circus run by Mosley and Eccelstone. Have the SCCA bring back Can-Am.
Reply
Prius Power in San Marino 2:27PM (11/19/2006)
Bathtub:
Pardon the omission. Widespread hybrid use will see the light of day when the FIA as well as the GPMA (Honda, Merecedes, Toyota, BMW, Renault) say it will. And they just have.
Reply
dt 8:43PM (11/19/2006)
What goes round comes round. Williams (IIRC, might have been McLaren) started work on energy recovery in the mid-90s. FIA squashed that flat before it got very far -- I think it was part of their (losing) war on development costs.
Reply
Peter 4:52AM (11/20/2006)
> #6, with all due respect, hybrid engines in an F1
> car?!! You have to be kidding...
Nope, neither is the FIA: http://www.fia.com/automotive/issue5/sport/article9.html
Zytek is said to be contemplating entering a hybrid powered car in next year's Le Mans 24h, BTW.
> 1,500HP from a 1.5L engine? My 1.5L engine makes
> 109HP. I want what he's having.
Yep, back in the days, when turbos ruled the earth, those were the numbers. At least in qualifying...
Reply
MikeWarner 1:30PM (11/20/2006)
This would be pretty good, although if they do, they would have to stick in some sort of limitation - like boost level or fuel economy, otherwise they will be getting double the power they do now!
Having smaller turbo engine will give more back development back into the car industry and will greatly reduce the cost of the engines.
Reply
charles 10:43AM (11/20/2006)
I'd like to see 1.0-1.5 liter turbocharged engines burning ethanol, personally. The tiny displacement will ensure that RPMs will remain high, and clean burning corn based ethanol is environmentally sound.
Unfortunately, I suspect that the all conquering Audi R10 turbodiesel will have the FIA leaning in that direction. If that occurs, insane RPM simply won't be necessary (or feasible) and the unique F1 "racket" will be lost.
Reply
psily 2:25PM (11/20/2006)
mosley leave now, whats the difference, your ruining the sport ... i do however like the smaller engines putting out the same power and clocking some nice speeds, but bring the turbos back and the competitive tires.
mmmmmm V8 at 700 hp 2.4L now with variable flange turbos :drool:
i want to be an F1 pilot so bad, i need to just get my foot in the door.
Reply
charles 6:09PM (11/21/2006)
Frankly, if you're not:
1) 15 or younger
2) Living in Europe, Japan, or South America
3) Already actively racing go-karts
Then you've already missed your shot at getting your foot in the door. Sorry.
Reply