There is a growing number of voices calling for a return to the crowd-pleasing V10 (and even V8) normally-aspirated engines of Formula One’s past.
With the current V6-turbo-hybrid engines due to be replaced at the end of 2022, former F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone has proposed a return to the older generation engines.
The move, he says, could even be a stopgap before F1 is pressured by manufacturers into opting for another expensive “green” probably hydrogen-fuelled powerplant.
The call for the return of noisy engines, which many believe would be widely welcomed by F1’s legion of fans, has been fuelled to a large extent by Fernando Alonso’s impressive demonstration of his 2005 title-winning Renault at the Yas Marina circuit in Abu Dhabi in December last year.
Historically, the most powerful V10 engines arrived in 2005, despite the FIA limiting the three-litre units to a five-valve head design and the use of only one engine for two Grand Prix weekends in a bid to improve reliability.
Renault, Toyota, Ferrari and BMW engines all produced around 920 bhp while Mercedes powerplants were estimated to deliver approximately 930 bhp. The Honda engine (pictured) was said to be the most powerful, producing an estimated 965 bhp at 19,000 rpm.
Photocredit: Maxf1.net
