2013: Formula One hopes to change the world (Part 2)
The Formula 1 revolution will not just be a matter of framing a set of rules and regulations regarding a fuel efficient, green and hybrid formula, money has to be the main target of this revolutionary plan. As Tim Routsis says that currently, the new rules
they have in mind are quite relevant and technically exciting. They will have to be very careful regarding the financial matter, as they do not want to trigger a “financial arms race” unintentionally. The one thing that seemed quite clear to Routsis was that
the working group in the engine manufacturers is either big or small. Nobody can afford to consider an out-and- out spending race. Meaning the engine manufacturers want to keep a check on their pockets before spending anything.
It will be quite a challenge to ensure that the manufacturers do not spend an unlimited amount of money on their new engine development programmes instead; it has to be achieved in a sensible way. If the development on certain areas of the engine is limited,
it would make it more suitable financially for the engine manufacturers.
“We have to recognise that the internal combustion engine has been around for about 100 years now and there is an awful lot of areas that are very difficult to improve. There's a whole bunch of things like that where we'll just fix it and we don't need
to spend a whole bunch of money to relearn what's been learned over the years”, explained Tim Routsis, the CEO for Cosworth.
Teams hope to keep certain development techniques open instead, especially the ones where savings can be made on fuel efficiency.
“If we're going to look at getting a lot of efficiency out of fuel the way that we can make the engine exchange gas and to get better thermal efficiency out of it is where we need to be putting our development effort,” added Routsis.
The teams currently have no fuel limit and they can waste fuel as much as they want over the course of a race weekend. However, the ban on refuelling for this year proved that more fuel-efficient engines work much better during the races. This will not be
the case in the year 2013, as the fuel limit will cap the amount of fuel a car can begin the race with.
“The big difference this time around is the amount of fuel that we can pour into the engine across the course of the race - it's going to be very, very restricted. That is where the big change is going to come. We've got to get a lot more out of less,”
continued Tim Routsis.
The officials are looking at the numbers that are currently going to adjust somewhere from 35% to 50% less the amount of fuel the teams are using today. Fundamentally, for a car that is got to do the same time and same sort of distance will be a huge step
forward.
For further motivation of greener power trains (engines and hybrid technology), the officials are discussing the fuel flow and quantity limits should be reduced continually over time in order to force the manufacturers to make their engines even more efficient
and further improve Formula 1’s image regarding this matter. Martin Whitmarsh, the FOTA chairperson insists that the teams should be forced to ensure that their cars and engines remain the most technically advanced machines on planet and the sound of the engine
marks it out as such.
Whitmarsh believes that they have to get it right since the Formula 1 cars are seen as the most technically advanced racing vehicles in this world and there is no doubt about it. Martin Whitmarsh says that it is vitally important to listen to the cars as
many factors regarding the engines efficiency can be evaluated that way.
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