Diesel F1 cars

[craig180]

I have been giving this some thought since starting to look at/for new cars... How long do we think before F1 cars are running diesel engines?

Let's face it, diesel cars have made a pretty big impact in BTCC and now Le Mans and the majority of new cars sold in the UK are now diesel engined.

F1 technology kinda leads new technology in road cars, and I even read the other day some road car (may have been a bimmer) have KERS systems fitted!

So, realistically will it happen? Or do you think F1 will stick it out on race fuel of the petrol variety?

[Aly]

The only reason they use diesel in Le Mans is because they are more endurance type races where they use less fuel and are more reliable over longer distances.

I can't see diesel ever being in a F1 car because the weight of the engine would be a problem, the torque the engine produces would kill tyres, the great thing about F1 now is the engines are light, high power output and low torque so the engines are fairly forgiving on the tyres.

I can only see them going to the V6 Turbo's and leaving it at that for a while.

[Sophia_Bush]

tu5d needed

[craig180]

I appreciate there are physical constraints, but if FIA insisted on manufacturers producing a high power, light diesel engine to compete, they would do it.

It's only the same as going from a V8 to a smaller capacity V6 turbo IMO

[m4tt274]

long term F1 will go back to 1.0 4 cylinder or similar.
F1 is all about technology, the technology that is then passed onto road cars.
with the V10s the bhp limit the were allowed could be reached pretty easily, so then they said, V8. With the engine tec the teams were using the engines all fell short of about 150bhp so they had to get clever. Now, with the V8s the teams can peddle pretty quickly, so soon they will say V6, as soon as the technology allows them to breach the restrictions with the V6 they will fold them back to 4 cylinders.

The teams will find a way eventually to have a 1500bhp 1.0 4 cylinder that can last an entire F1 race on a tank of fuel?
consider then if that same engine made 75bhp. it will last forever and do 100mpg.

thats a basic theory at least, its more complicated than that. but its a good basic framework.

[yr51ocw]

diesels may be popular in the uk and europe, but they are way behind in sales across the rest of the world, I very much doubt we will see diesel F1 cars for 20+years.

[e8_pqck]

is weight really a problem? i thought they ballasted most of the cars anyway to get to the minimum weight. Ford are already charging ahead with their ecoboost engines and setting ring times with a 1.0 3 cyl already.

[Manu]

Not gonna happen unless they reconsider the ban on turbo engines. And at the moment it's heading towards hybrid petrol/electricty technology.

[hellonpluto]

electric f1 cars would be amazingly quiet! Be like proper scalectrix

[Manu]

Wouldn't happen either with manufacturers such as Ferrari being so proud at tuning the noise it makes.

[griff_106]

Can't see it happening for a long time if at all personally. I hope they don't, anyway.

Derv engines are heavy in their own nature so surely it'd play havoc with the handling of the car as well? It'd be eery as fuck to hear 20+ diesel motors revving up at the start of a GP and that would ruin the show to some extent IMO :S

[Aly]

Not gonna happen unless they reconsider the ban on turbo engines. And at the moment it's heading towards hybrid petrol/electricty technology.

The engines at the start of the 2014 will be Turbocharged V6 engines

[vtectransplant]

If Bernie could make money from it, they would come.

[CampDavid]

It won't happen for a long while for a couple of reasons

1. Ferrari. They don't do diesel and are too important to F1

2. It doesn't suit the cars. F1 cars are single seaters and weigh about 575kgs (640kgs IIRC with the driver) which don't suit derv engines which are inherently heavier.

3. The F1 engine business is big, a lot bigger than the engines in other motorsport with a company like Mercedes spending much more in resources and manpower to make just the engines than Audi do on the whole LM project. As such engine rule changes are fiercely negotiated and take ages to put together, the engines for next season were agreed in principle back when I was still in F1 over 5 years ago. The move to diesel would require all the engine providers to make massive changes, which while not impossible, is unlikely to happen.

Edit: That's three reasons. Anyway. Hi, been a while.

[jonathon5]

1.5 turbos 1500bhp back in the 1980's mega lag

Twin charger systems 2.0 engines eventually for f1

[AXracing]

Diesel will only make F1 if they introduce regulations to massively handicap or even ban petrol engine. The reasoning is a diesel engine will always weigh a lot more produce less power and have a much narrower powerband then a equivalent petrol engine. Its really only in mega endurance racing where a diesel can contend in a fair fight but even then more often then not the regs have to still give them a hand.