Mercedes insists F1 engines are road-relevant

Mercedes has hit back at claims the 'power units' featured in formula one today will never carry over to normal road cars. Red Bull's Dr Helmut Marko was the first to make the claim, telling APA news agency last week: "As they are so difficult and complex, it will be impossible to use them in road cars."

And F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone, who also despises the current engine formula, told the latest edition of Autosprint magazine: "A friend of mine, who I will not name but who works for a big manufacturer, told me that the technical solutions on the current F1 hybrids will never be used on road cars."

But the BBC is now quoting Mercedes engine chief Andy Cowell as insisting "exactly the same" technology will in fact be fitted to road cars in the future. He said car manufacturers are striving to make engines smaller and more efficient, with hybrid systems or electric motors then added to tackle the inevitable 'turbo lag'. "That's where F1 engines are road-relevant," said Cowell, who said today's F1 technology will "definitely" end up in road cars.

Ecclestone and the FIA admitted after last Thursday's Strategy Group meeting that, while rule changes are looming for 2017, the basic infrastructure of the engines will stay the same. "Of course it is possible to use different engines that are cheaper but with the same performance," said Ecclestone, "but the manufacturers don't want to." (GMM)