As research and talks on the post-2020 Formula 1 engine continue, Mercedes Motorsport boss Toto Wolff claims it would be wrong to “crawl back in time” by re-introducing V10 or V8 units.
Changes are to be made with a great deal of displeasure on all sides with the current V6 turbo hybrids mostly on costs, complexity and sound but there is little appetite for a return to the types of engines used in the last 25 years as in today’s car market they are becoming rarer and much less efficient.
Instead, a retention of the current six-cylinder engine but with an additional turbo and a return to a KERS-style hybrid system was the initial consensus from first meetings with Wolff insisting, if done properly, a modern power unit can still meet with fans desires.
“I strongly believe that F1 stands for high technology and innovation, performance,” said the Austrian, sticking by the hybrid focus. “If you try to crawl back in time to the famous 80’s and 90’s, just because you liked it so much, it is the wrong strategy.
“The discussions we are having are really good in so far as we see what we want to keep from the current regulations.”
Recently, F1 CEO Chase Carey was quoted as saying the focus has to be on “louder, cheaper, better” engines and the solutions that meet those guidelines are already drawing interest from potential new suppliers with Cosworth, Aston Martin and Porsche among a few names mentioned.
Wolff also reveals there is general agreement on the direction of the new engine from both current and potential manufacturers, suggesting a final decision could come as soon as this year.
“There has been scope for various pillars that the new engine needs to have: cost of development needs to be under control, it needs to be high-tech, it needs to be hybrid, power-to-weight ratio needs to be better than it is now, and now we need to look at the quality of sound,” he explained.
“We are looking at the variables of how we can achieve that, and so far everybody has been pretty much on the same path, I believe by the end of the year we can come to a close and say this is what we want to do in 2021.”
