Martin Whitmarsh says diversity in F1 engines creates risk for manufacturers – Formula 1 news
McLaren team principal and the chairman of the Formula One Teams Association, Martin Whitmarsh has stated that allowing more than one engine configuration in the sport will create financial risk for the manufacturers.
Whitmarsh stated that he was personally against having more than one engine configuration for the Formula 1 teams because manufacturers will have to build more than one configuration to bring out the best.
He also stated that bringing V6 into Formula 1 will attract more engine manufacturers. Whitmarsh expressed his views in Formula One Teams Association fans’ forum event at the McLaren Technology Centre.
He said, “I've argued for diversity myself in the past. Although the regulations are fixed, they typically evolve, and if you had a range of engines then it would be clear after a year one solution was the right one. At that point a manufacturer would develop
the alternate configuration.”
Whitmarsh added, “So it's about reducing the risk, and I hope in the future we can have four or five automotive manufacturers in the sport at any one time. They're always going to come in and out as it suits them and works for their marketing programme.”
Initially, the International Automobile Federation (FIA) decided to bring V4 engines from the 2013 season to cut down the engine cost. Formula 1 teams reacted differently to that suggestion as the lower ranked teams agreed while higher ranked teams opposed
the change.
It was then proposed that the Formula 1 teams should be given a free hand to use any kind of engine configuration to their personal liking.
Whitmarsh now explains that it would have created an imbalance in the performance of the teams.
Nevertheless, the FIA has now decided to bring V6 into play from the 2014 season to which all the Formula 1 teams and engine manufacturers have agreed on. It will be interesting to see how the engine evolves in the 2014 season.
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