A common source of frustration among Formula One fans appears to have an end in sight.
During a meeting held by the FIA in Paris on Friday, F1 manufacturers and stakeholders agreed to make F1 engines that are louder, cheaper, simpler and more powerful after 2020, according to ESPN. It’s believed the agreement will mark the end of the current 1.6-liter V6 turbo hybrids, which are much quieter than their naturally aspirated V8 predecessors, in lieu of a simpler solution.
More details reportedly will be released in the coming years, but in addition to agreeing on the post-2020 engine formula, the FIA said both sides expressed a desire to allow drivers to drive harder at all times, and to maintain F1 as a platform for developing future road-car technologies.
“I was very pleased with the process,” FIA president Jean Todt said, via ESPN, “and the fact that so many different stakeholders were able to agree on a direction for the FIA Formula One World Championship in such an important technical area.
“Of course, now we must sit down and work through the fine details of exactly what the 2021 power units will be.”
The current V6 hybrid engines were introduced as part of a fuel-efficiency formula. The units achieve approximately 50 percent thermal efficiency, whereas the previous V8s achieved roughly 30 percent, according to ESPN.
Thumbnail photo via Jerome Miron/USA TODAY Sports Images
