F1 to switch to turbocharged V6 engines instead of proposed turbo fours

A compromise has reportedly been reached in Formula 1 that will guarantee the future participation of all the current engine suppliers, while satisfying the FIA's drive for more fuel-efficient propulsion.

Plans were (until now) in place for F1 to switch from the current 2.4-liter V8 engines to 1.6-liter turbo fours by 2013. However, some of the current propulsion suppliers – Ferrari most vocally among them – vehemently objected to the proposal. The compromise agreement arrived at by the Formula 1 Commission is to replace both formulas with new turbocharged V6 engines, also 1.6 liters in displacement, which will still allow the integration of KERS regenerative braking by 2014 – one year later and two cylinders greater than initially planned.

The proposal still needs to be approved by the FIA's World Motor Sport Council, but if adopted would apparently satisfy both sides of the debate, including Ferrari's hesitance (at one end) and Renault's insistence (on the other) towards downsizing the current engines. What this will mean for planned newcomers like Craig Pollock's PURE outfit, however, which was already working on a turbo four, remains to be seen.