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No “equalising” of engines for 2010
Topic Started: Jan 17 2010, 10:46 AM (353 Views)
Steelstallions
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http://www.jamesallenonf1.com/2010/01/no-e...gines-for-2010/

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There will be no re-tuning of the engines competing in Formula 1 this season, after extensive discussions on ways of equalising engines drew a blank.The Mercedes, Ferrari and Renault engines will all be as they were in 2009. The V8 engines in use in F1 at the moment are all frozen in specification, with no performance developments allowed. However manufacturers are allowed to request changes in the interests of reliability.

In that process, some changes were made which definitely improved performance, so by the end of 2008 there was quite a difference in performance between the best and worst performing engines.

The FIA ruled that Renault, which had been left behind, would be allowed to retune its engine to bring it up to the level of the others.

This season the same thing happened again. According to analysis we ran on this site in November, the spread of engine power from the best to the worst engines this year was around 2.5%. This means that, if the Mercedes is believed to have had 755hp, the least powerful engine was 18hp down, which is worth just under 3/10ths of a second per lap.

This time the FIA proposed that if the teams were unhappy then they should sort it out themselves, but it could only be on the basis of the best engine being detuned. Mercedes were very unhappy with this and there was some scepticism about the whether the Renault was as down on power as it was being suggested, especially as Red Bull won six races. After extensive discussions got nowhere, the FIA is believed to have ruled that the engines will stay as they are with no re-tuning.

It is worth remembering that “equivalence” isn’t actully required in the rules, just no performance development. So getting exactly equal engines is not something the FIA has to be seen to pursue.

Red Bull were keen on a move to Mercedes power for 2010, but met with resistance from McLaren and Brawn and also from powerful voices within Red Bull itself. So they will remain with Renault. But this is no bad thing; it is worth remembering that they won the last three races of last season, so the engine clearly wasn’t struggling.

And perhaps more important, performance isn’t going to be the holy grail in races this season; fuel efficiency is, due to the new rule outlawing refuelling. The Renault is the most fuel efficient engine in the field, so the Red Bull team can budget for a smaller fuel tank, which improves weight distribution and aerodynamics and they will carry a lighter fuel load at the start of the race. Every 3 kilos of fuel they carry less than their rivals will help them by a tenth of a second per lap. That could be decisive this year.

Adrian Newey said today that McLaren and Brawn blocked RBR from having the Mercedes engines. The team also evaluated Cosworth. But I have a feeling that they will do just fine with the Renault this year.

This story has been written in response to a number of questions posted on the site by readers wanting to know what’s going on with equalising engines. Thanks to them for suggesting it.


As said, when its about F1 engines in 2010, performance is not the one deciding factor this season its fuel efficiency with performance (and of course reliability) as the cars cannot refuel during a race.
Who after Renault has the most fuel efficient but powerful engine?
I can see why FIA has left it as it is, they cannot agree and Mercedes don't necessarily have an advantage this season as less fuel efficiency will mean more weight in fuel for the car.
Ferrari apparently have managed to keep last years engine performance but improve fuel efficiency working directly with Shell. This could be why we have heard nothing from them about equalisation.
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Red Andy
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Ferrari had one of the least fuel efficient engines last year (and certainly the least efficient of those remaining in the sport this year). If Steel is correct and they have been working on efficiency with Shell, hopefully that will not be a problem for them in 2010.
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Norbert
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So if everyone has the same engine that was homologated gawd knows how long ago (and subsequently fettled very slightly as allowed under the rules) won't a new engine manufacturer have a huge advantage, in that they can develop an engine all they like, before submitted for homologation? What happens if Cosworth turn up with an engine kicking out about 780bhp and also being more fuel efficient? Won't there be rather a lot of angry teams in the pit lane?
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Red Andy
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The Cosworth was homologated in 2006 along with all the other engines, and I think the 2010 engine has to be essentially the same as that one in accordance with the engine freeze rules. I could be wrong though.
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Pasta
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It just seems to me that these miniscule rules are taking away from the sport. The FIA has rules about everything including how teams can spend budgets. This is replacing initiative, innovation, creativity and financial dedication to the sport with a bland government designed to make everyone equal.

A bit like communism if you ask me.

Instead of encouraging leadership in engineering, fuel efficiency, technological improvements, the FIA is instead going for the lowest common denominator all in the interest of improving the show.
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GordonB
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Pasta,Jan 17 2010
06:45 PM
It just seems to me that these miniscule rules are taking away from the sport. The FIA has rules about everything including how teams can spend budgets. This is replacing initiative, innovation, creativity and financial dedication to the sport with a bland government designed to make everyone equal.

A bit like communism if you ask me.

Instead of encouraging leadership in engineering, fuel efficiency, technological improvements, the FIA is instead going for the lowest common denominator all in the interest of improving the show.

You're completely correct.

You're also not the first to point this out - I think just about everyone on this board has expressed that sentiment to various degrees at some point.

Too many engineering-based rules => restrictive engineering solutions => all cars are basically the same.

The trouble is that the alternative is basically open rules with a budget cap, which I personally would wholeheartedly support, but various people have pointed out that this is unachievable (sportsman makes a very good case on this point) because teams would get round the budget cap by doing their development "out of the team" and then just giving it to the team so that it costs them no money.

I'd still like to give it a try though.
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Pasta
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GordonB,Jan 17 2010
07:01 PM
Pasta,Jan 17 2010
06:45 PM
It just seems to me that these miniscule rules are taking away from the sport. The FIA has rules about everything including how teams can spend budgets. This is replacing initiative, innovation, creativity and financial dedication to the sport with a bland government designed to make everyone equal.

A bit like communism if you ask me.

Instead of encouraging leadership in engineering, fuel efficiency, technological improvements, the FIA is instead going for the lowest common denominator all in the interest of improving the show.

You're completely correct.

You're also not the first to point this out - I think just about everyone on this board has expressed that sentiment to various degrees at some point.

Too many engineering-based rules => restrictive engineering solutions => all cars are basically the same.

The trouble is that the alternative is basically open rules with a budget cap, which I personally would wholeheartedly support, but various people have pointed out that this is unachievable (sportsman makes a very good case on this point) because teams would get round the budget cap by doing their development "out of the team" and then just giving it to the team so that it costs them no money.

I'd still like to give it a try though.

While I agree that an open playing field within a budget cap would make sense (spend your money where you want - be that testing, engine development, aero work or whatever) and spending efficiency would become a big part of F1 success, that won't work if we view this on a team-by-team basis.

That would be to ignore the realities of the sport. Accept that there are different tiers in F1: The main teams and the feeder teams. The feeder teams essentially get huge financial support by buying engines and other parts from the four or five major teams (ok three this year plus Red Bull), guarantee to lose but hopefully be close and get some points, and create the real show at the top. The feeder teams can and have operated on smaller budgets because they do not need to spend the same as the majors on R&D.

Also this program has developed not only new driving talent, but also new engineers that advance to the bigger teams because they show they can develop relatively better technology within the limited budgets of the second tier teams.

The big teams benefit by spreading their R&D budgets over some recoupment from engine/other sales to the minor teams.

I think the solution should arise if they look at the real economics of the sport, and address those issues, rather than the knee jerk reaction and micro management that has been so prevalent under Max. Stop trying to make all teams equal, and let the big boys spend, but ensure that they support the lesser teams.

I think that given a year, Todt might just bring some common sense back to the sport, that was ruined by Max more than a decade ago. That is, of course, if Todt agrees with us.
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P1
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The 2009-spec engines by the numbers regarding fuel consumption...

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GordonB
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Wow - good stats. What's the source?

The one thing that really stands out though, is that despite having the "same" engine, Brawn used much more fuel per lap than McLaren. I wonder why that is. Kers??

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flood1
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The stats are from here:

http://f1numbers.wordpress.com/
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safc_fan89
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In the case of the Renault though, unless they have found the "tricks" which everyone else has been using to improve their engine, any benefit from fuel efficiency will be lost because it's slow.

Mind you, the Renault engine can't be that bad, given Red Bull's season.
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