We have a thread to talk about the launches of the cars but I think we should have a separate place to discuss the engines themselves, which I'm sure will be one of the key talking points throughout the year. Moving from the naturally aspirated 2.4 litre V8s to 1.6 litre V6 turbos with various energy recovery systems bolted on is the biggest change F1 has seen for decades in fact.
Here is a good video that explains the changes and how the engines work:
And a more detailed article here from somersf1:
http://somersf1.blogspot.fr/2013/01/2014s-power-units-16-v6-turbos-with-ers.html
Some bullet points to try to explain everything briefly:
600bhp excluding energy recovery systems
Rev Limit: 15,000 rpm.
Gears: 8 with ratios fixed throughout the season (previously the teams were allowed to use 30 different ratios throughout the season. This is made possible because the new engines can deliver high power through a much wider rev range (10,000-15,000rpm) than the V8s).
Only 5 power units (engine, turbo and associated energy recovery systems) allowed per driver per season.
Efficiency: Fuel flow limit of 100kg/hour and no more than 100kg to be used in the race. Direct fuel injection is also introduced. Overall the engines will be roughly 30% more efficient than the V8s were.
ERS-H/MGU-H: When decelerating, power generated from the spinning turbo can be used to charge the batteries. The motor used to do this can also be used to spin up the turbo using the power from the batteries (in this case the power could also have been derived from ERS-K). In this way turbo lag can be largely eradicated.
ERS-K/MGU-K: What we knew as KERS before - when decelerating/braking for a corner the residual power of the engine is used to drive a generator that charges the batteries. The generator can later be used as a motor to drive the engine from the batteries, with ERS-K providing around an extra 160bhp in 2014 for 33 seconds per lap (80bhp for 6.7s per lap in 2013 with the V8s). ERS-K will now be deployed automatically via the engine maps rather than the drivers having to press a button, so in this sense it is no longer an overtaking aid.
Batteries: Can store up to 4 MJ (a factor of 10 more than 2013) and must weigh between 20 and 25 kg.
Manufacturers: Mercedes, Ferrari and Renault are the only manufacturers supplying engines in 2014. Honda will return in 2015 to supply McLaren (and presumably others). It has also emerged that Cosworth have developed an engine so it can make a return to Formula 1 at some point (http://www.racecar-engineering.com/news/cosworth-reveals-2014-f1-power-unit/). The engine manufacturers will supply the following teams in 2014:
I'm sure we'll have much to talk about in the next week with us getting to hear the engines in anger properly for the first time... and I wouldn't be surprised if there's a few fires as well...
Here is a good video that explains the changes and how the engines work:
And a more detailed article here from somersf1:
http://somersf1.blogspot.fr/2013/01/2014s-power-units-16-v6-turbos-with-ers.html
Some bullet points to try to explain everything briefly:
600bhp excluding energy recovery systems
Rev Limit: 15,000 rpm.
Gears: 8 with ratios fixed throughout the season (previously the teams were allowed to use 30 different ratios throughout the season. This is made possible because the new engines can deliver high power through a much wider rev range (10,000-15,000rpm) than the V8s).
Only 5 power units (engine, turbo and associated energy recovery systems) allowed per driver per season.
Efficiency: Fuel flow limit of 100kg/hour and no more than 100kg to be used in the race. Direct fuel injection is also introduced. Overall the engines will be roughly 30% more efficient than the V8s were.
ERS-H/MGU-H: When decelerating, power generated from the spinning turbo can be used to charge the batteries. The motor used to do this can also be used to spin up the turbo using the power from the batteries (in this case the power could also have been derived from ERS-K). In this way turbo lag can be largely eradicated.
ERS-K/MGU-K: What we knew as KERS before - when decelerating/braking for a corner the residual power of the engine is used to drive a generator that charges the batteries. The generator can later be used as a motor to drive the engine from the batteries, with ERS-K providing around an extra 160bhp in 2014 for 33 seconds per lap (80bhp for 6.7s per lap in 2013 with the V8s). ERS-K will now be deployed automatically via the engine maps rather than the drivers having to press a button, so in this sense it is no longer an overtaking aid.
Batteries: Can store up to 4 MJ (a factor of 10 more than 2013) and must weigh between 20 and 25 kg.
Manufacturers: Mercedes, Ferrari and Renault are the only manufacturers supplying engines in 2014. Honda will return in 2015 to supply McLaren (and presumably others). It has also emerged that Cosworth have developed an engine so it can make a return to Formula 1 at some point (http://www.racecar-engineering.com/news/cosworth-reveals-2014-f1-power-unit/). The engine manufacturers will supply the following teams in 2014:
- Mercedes: Mercedes, Williams, McLaren, Force India
- Ferrari: Ferrari, Sauber, Marussia
- Renault: Red Bull, Toro Rosso, Lotus, Caterham
I'm sure we'll have much to talk about in the next week with us getting to hear the engines in anger properly for the first time... and I wouldn't be surprised if there's a few fires as well...
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30 odd seconds is a significant part of the lap so maybe it will be deployed for a decent fraction of the straights. Hopefully we'll get graphics in the onboard shots that show what on Earth is going on with the engines.
