Renault Sport F1 has revealed the first image of its new 1.6 litre turbocharged-V6 power unit which will power its customers cars in 2014.
The FIA is hoping the new regulations will cut the amount of fuel used by around 33%, by utilising a new more powerful ERS unit which produces 161bhp for 33.3 seconds per lap, compared to the present KERS units which produce just 80bhp for 6.7 seconds.
Technical director of Renault Sport F1, Rob White, believes the change is an important step in the right direction for F1, aligning it with today’s needs.
“At the time, there was a perceived distance and lack of consistency between the technology employed in F1 and that used for mass production vehicles, from both the economic and environmental angles. It was therefore necessary for F1 to undergo a significant change in order to reconcile these two realities,” said White.
Whilst White backs the plans, many fans are worried it will reduce interest in the sport because of the change from V8s to V6s, which will sound quieter. White denies this.
“F1 is still going to be very loud, it is still going to be a very violent event,” he added.
“You can see on the test bed that even with relatively slow shifts on a relatively low transient dyno, that gear shifts are rapid and violent.”
