60 Years of Formula One Engines

60 Years of Formula One Engines

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A modern Formula One engine is an incredible piece of equipment.

From a capacity of just 2.4 litres, a normally aspirated F1 engine can produce over 750hp. To put that into perspective, it's twice the amount of horsepower per litre of displacement than a Bugatti Veyron, and it's capable of a higher top speed. A Formula One engine also delivers 18,000rpm, nearly double that of any other racing car, and it means the pistons move and change direction so quickly they generate 10,000 times the force of the earth's gravity.

The statistics are simply astonishing.

Although Formula One engines have changed dramatically since the World Championship started in 1950 they have always represented the pinnacle of automotive engineering.

Here's a look at 60 years of Formula One engine technology.

1950 - THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BEGINS
The engine 'formula' for the first World Championship in 1950 was set for 4.5 litre normally aspirated, or 1.5 litre supercharged engines. These rules were similar to those used in Formula Voiturette before the war and were not very restrictive. The technical freedom resulted in different manufacturers building a variety of V12, V16 and inline configurations. Alfa Romeo was the only major constructor to use a supercharged engine and the factory team won both the 1950 and 1951 World Championships.

Due to the lack of F1 machinery available in the aftermath of World War Two, the World Championship was run to Formula Two regulations in 1952 and 1953. Ferrari dominated the championship during those two years with the smaller two litre engines. The wider availability of the smaller machinery led to a change in the Formula One specifications for 1954.

1954 - ENGINE SIZES ARE REDUCED
Without only a limited number of Formula One cars available the category was facing extinction. In 1954 the regulations were changed to encourage more constructors to take part and the engines were reduced to almost half their previous size. The new engines were similar to those used in the Formula Two cars and were just 2.5 litres.

Mercedes' unique double inline configuration was the most powerful and most successful engine to be built under this formula and the German manufacturer dominated the World Championship in the two years they took part. Once Mercedes withdrew from the sport, Ferrari and Maserati enjoyed success with more conventional V12 designs.

Constructors were still allowed to enter cars with supercharged engines under the new regulations but their displacement could be no greater than 750cc. None of the teams tried that option and turbos didn't reappear on the Formula One grid for more than twenty years.

1961 - SPEEDS START TO SOAR
The engine regulations were changed again in 1961 to control the increasingly dangerous speeds in Formula One. The engines were drastically reduced in size down to just 1.5 litres and produced only 150hp, the same as a modern Fiat Croma hatchback. Ferrari was the best prepared team for the new regulations and was the only constructor to build a V6 engine. The Scuderia crushed the opposition in 1961, but BRM and Coventry Climax engines were more successful in later years with V8 configurations.

The regulation changes in 1961 encouraged new constructors to enter Formula One and Porsche did so with a with a unique engine design. The German manufacturer wanted to use the sport to help develop their road cars so they elected to race with an air-cooled engine. Ultimately, Porsche found the cost of competing too high and withdrew from Formula One after just two years. The team's victory in the 1962 French Grand Prix remains the only win for an air-cooled engine in a World Championship event. Honda re-introduced the concept in 1968 but their design only started one race before the Japanese company also withdrew from the sport.

1967 - COSWORTH INTRODUCES THE DFV
In the mid sixties, prototype sportscars were starting to develop more power than Grand Prix machinery and were able to produce comparative lap times. To ensure that Formula One remained the premier category of motorsport, the permissible F1 engine size was doubled for the 1966 season.

In the second year of the new regulations Cosworth introduced the incredible DFV engine. Their design revolutionised Formula One car construction and the same basic engine block remained in the sport for 25 years. The idea for the Double Four Valve (DFV) design came from Lotus boss, Colin Chapman, who wanted to use an engine as a stressed member of the car's chassis. He discussed the concept with Ford who commissioned Cosworth to build the engine for the Lotus Formula One team. The first unit was ready in 1967 and won on its debut at the Dutch Grand Prix. The DFV then won another three races in the 1967 season and Ford realised that other teams would be willing to purchase the technology. The Cosworth DFV was made commercially available for all teams and quickly become the most popular option of the Formula One grid.

In 1970, eight of the twelve teams were using Cosworth power.

During this same period, thanks to the success of Cosworth, V configuration units became the norm. Ferrari proved to be an exception and used its own Flat 12 engine for over a decade. Ferrari’s engine was very reliable and had a low centre of gravity which aided the car’s handling, but it was also rather cumbersome and heavy. Alfa Romeo was the only other manufacturer to try the concept but quickly switched to conventional V12 power when they changed from being an engine supplier to an independent constructor.

1977 - RENAULT PIONEER THE TURBO
Although the regulation changes in 1966 made superchargers more attractive for engine constructors, none of the teams elected to adopt one until 1977. Renault was the first team to try a turbocharged engine and they quickly confirmed why nobody else was willing to use the technology. The engines were horrendously unreliable and were nicknamed yellow teapots due to their propensity to break down with gasses hissing out.

However, Renault stuck with their development program and won the first grand prix for a turbocharged F1 car in 1979. Six months later Ferrari introduced their own turbo engine, and a number of other teams (including Brabham-BMW) followed suit in the years ahead. In 1983, turbocharged engines won 12 of the 15 races and had become the most competitive option available.

Interestingly, the Cosworth DFV was still respectable against the more powerful turbocharged units. Due to the size and shape of the DFV, teams that ran one had more space to carve ground effect chutes into the car's floor. Teams using turbo engines had less space for the chutes and had to sacrifice some aerodynamic performance for raw power.

1982 - NEW TECHNOLOGIES ARE RESTRICTED
In 1971 Lotus debuted a revolutionary gas turbine engine. The design was very light and durable but it took a long time to reach full revs and just as much time to slow down (making engine braking a nightmare). Lotus abandoned the idea, and although more research could have resulted in a more suitable F1 engine, the regulations were changed before anyone else tried. In 1982 gas turbines were banned, along with rotary engines, diesel engines and orbital engines. With a new age of technology running rampant, the FIA dictated that Formula One cars could only run with internal combustion engines.

1984 - TURBOS EXCEED 1000HP
Turbo engines started creating unsafe levels of power in the mid eighties and the FIA was forced to react. In 1984, the rules were changed so that cars could only carry a maximum of 220 litres of fuel during a Grand Prix. The idea was that drivers would have to use their engines conservatively and would be unable to make full use of their turbo power. The maximum fuel level was lowered again to 195 litres in 1985 but this did little to quell growing safety concerns. Drivers could still use full power in qualifying and only had to drive conservatively during certain periods of the race. With this in mind, the FIA introduced a plan to gradually start phasing out turbos altogether.

 In 1987 turbocharged engines were limited to just 4 bars of boost pressure. In 1988 this was reduced to just 2.5 bars of pressure, and in 1989 turbos and superchargers were banned completely.

The end of the turbo-era resulted in a new formula for 3.5 litre normally aspirated engines. Most constructors opted for a V10 configuration although some tried other alternatives. V12 units turned out to be too heavy and used too much fuel to warrant the extra potential, whilst the V8's lacked power. Different circuits suited different engines, as did different weather conditions, but V10's were the best overall compromise and won every championship until they were banned in 2005.

1994 - V10 CAPACITY IS REDUCED
Immediately after Ayrton Senna's death the FIA took steps to reduce engine power in the name of safety. Partway through 1994, the technical regulations were changed so that an engine's airbox had to be depressurised to make it less effective. This was taken a step further the following year when engine capacity was reduced to 3 litres.

2004 - LONG LIFE ENGINES ARE INTRODUCED
In an effort to cut costs and increase the environmental credentials of Formula One, engines were made to last a full race weekend in 2004. The introduction of long life components went a step further in 2005 when engines were made to cover two full weekends. These regulations placed a huge emphasis on reliability and after a few years the average number of mechanical retirements per Grand Prix had dropped significantly.

The FIA tweaked the rules regarding engine life in 2009 and instead of forcing teams to use one unit for a fixed period of time, they limited how many could be used throughout the entire season. Constructors can now run just eight engines in each car per year, but are free chose how and when those engines are allocated. In theory, a team could run a new engine in each of first seven races of the year, but would then have to use a single unit for all the remaining rounds to avoid a penalty. Teams generally distribute the engines evenly throughout the season to use them as efficiently as possible. Sebastian Vettel currently holds the record for having used the same engine for the most number of races. Vettel suffered numerous mechanical failures in 2009 and had to use his eighth and final engine in the last five rounds of the year. He took victory in two of those races (including the final one) which shows just how durable modern Formula One engines have become.

Engine longevity is likely to feature heavily in the future of Grand Prix racing as the FIA continues to focus on environmental concerns and cost control.

2006 - V8 ENGINES ARE MADE MANDATORY
As part of the FIA's campaign to control speeds in F1, a new formula was introduced in 2006 for less powerful 2.4 litre V8 engines. Flat-line and wide angle 'boxer' configurations were also banned by a new rule that dictated all engines had to be set at an angle of 90 degrees. Renault had started racing a 111 degree engine when they returned to Formula One in 2002 but failed to make the unit competitive.

During 2006, Scuderia Toro Rosso did not have access to a new V8 engine and was permitted by the FIA to run a rev limited V10 instead. Some engineers believed this would give Toro Rosso an unfair advantage since, despite the rev limit, their engine would have far more torque. As it turned out STR offered little competition.

In the era of environmentally friendliness and road relevance, it seems highly unlikely that large V10 engines will ever return to Formula One.

2007 - THE ENGINE FREEZE COMES INTO EFFECT
With unprecedented levels of spending in Formula One the FIA took steps to reduce the cost of competing. One of the governing body's measures was a 'freeze' that banned any engine development from 2007 onwards. Effectively, the engines used by teams in the 2006 Japanese Grand Prix are the same versions being raced today. The only changes allowed have been those made for reliability purposes, and to make such a modification the teams have to get approval from the FIA as well as each of their competitors.

To increase engine reliability, a rev limit of 19,000rpm was introduced in 2007 and reduced to 18,000rpm in 2010.

2013 AND BEYOND - ROAD RELEVANCE AND THE ENVIRONMENT BECOME PRIORITIES
In 2009 Ferrari and Mercedes developed Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems for their engines which smartly converted wasted braking energy into horsepower. Renault and BMW also built similar systems, but like all of the other F1 teams, declined to race with the technology because the additional power it offered failed to compensate for the extra weight. Although only two teams consistently ran with KERS in 2009 it was an important step for Formula One because environmentally friendly technologies represent the future of the sport.

In 2013 the FIA will be pushing for more efficient designs and will introduce a completely new engine formula. Constructors will probably be given more technical freedom under the new regulations, but may face restrictions in other areas like the amount of fuel they can use during a race. This will shift the focus of engine development onto efficiency rather than power bringing the sport in line with current trends in the automotive industry. Early reports indicate the new formula will be set for small 1.5 litre turbocharged engines with a significant KERS component, but nothing has been confirmed as yet.

One day long into the future, the internal combustion engine will be a museum piece, and the new regulations for 2013 are first step towards preparing F1 for that outcome.

Posted by Martin Porter. - Follow him on twitter @mpondaweb.

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