Mercedes insists F1 engines are road-relevant

  • Published on 20 May 2015 16:57
  • comments 2
  • By: Rob Veenstra

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)

Lol these Mercedes trolls are just pathetic, Andy Cowell has learned how to stoop really low, so low they'll make some of the most corrupt politicians blush. Engines that don't last more than 5 GPs are road relevant huh? How would you all like to have an engine that lasts only 1500KMs? Not one bi... [Read more]

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  • May 20 2015 - 17:52

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  • Lol these Mercedes trolls are just pathetic, Andy Cowell has learned how to stoop really low, so low they'll make some of the most corrupt politicians blush. Engines that don't last more than 5 GPs are road relevant huh? How would you all like to have an engine that lasts only 1500KMs? Not one bit of this tech ends up on the road cars in their current form. You want to be road relevant? Try doing electric engines that lasts 100,000KMs then we'll talk relevancy.

    • + -1
    • May 20 2015 - 17:52
  • khasmir

    Posts: 893

    Hybrids have been used in road cars way before F1, so it seems to be the other way around if you ask me...
    And I don't think this is the future anyway, it's a temporary solution to prolong the life of the combustion engine, surely full electric vehicles are the future. So in that way, Formula E as more to offer than F1.

    • + -1
    • May 20 2015 - 18:04

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