ABU DHABI // Yas Marina Circuit had its first experience of the new 1.6-litre V6 turbos powering Formula One cars on Friday, but if the Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner had his way, they would be only a fleeting experience for race fans.
The units, which replaced 2.4-litre V8 engines, have proven controversial due to their reported high price in a season where the problem of increasing costs in the sport has seen Marussia disappear from the competition, while Caterham needed donations from the public and sponsors to be able to line up on the grid for Sunday’s Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Horner said in a news conference on Friday that the cost to the engine manufacturers, Mercedes, Ferrari and Renault, “has probably been close to a billion euros in developing these engines, and then the burden of cost has been passed on, unfortunately, to the customer teams”.
Horner, whose team use Renault engines, added that while he believed things cannot be changed for the 2015 season – which begins in March in Australia – a change in philosophy could be put in place for 2016, and was something he would suggest to the other teams.
“Maybe we need to even go as far looking at a different engine, a new engine, maybe still a V6, but maybe a more simplified V6 that controls the cost,” he said.
“Costs of development, costs of supply to a team and to the privateer team, and I think that is something we need to have a discussion about at the next strategy group.”
Claire Williams, the team principal of Williams, who use Mercedes units, warned that changing the engines, which were designed to promote racing that was more environmentally friendly, could damage the image of the sport.
“I think we have to consider very carefully any changes around the power units. We have already ploughed a lot of money into them, and developing them … a fifth of our budget is spent on our engine.
“There is an important message around those engines, as well, with their hybrid technologies, which are relevant to us and relevant to the sponsors we are trying to pitch to at the moment.
“I think making a U-turn so quickly I’m not sure is a way we would want to go, and I am not sure it puts us in a very credible position.”
gcaygill@thenational.ae
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