a guess at this time. Across F1’s sixty plus year history, new regulations have been implemented at various times for various reasons, but almost always as an attempt to slow the cars down. To date, no matter whether those changes were assigned as mechanical or aerodynamic restrictions, that has never happened. The cars have always gotten faster. However, with this new focus on energy efficiency, it will be interesting to see if the engineers have finally met their match. McLaren-Mercedes’ driver, 2009 World Champion Jenson Button can only
postulate. “No one knows how they are going to perform until the first race next year. It’s gonna be tricky because we do have a lot more torque to the engine, there will be a lot less down force because there’s no blowing (exhaust). It’s going to be very tough to get to grips with it. “ And consistent with change, the new power units have also been met by a fair share of skepticism. The release of audio files from Renault and Mercedes earlier this year which provided a glimpse as to what their 2014 power units may ultimately sound like was met with lackluster response. They have given pause to many within the sport who fear F1 is risking a great deal taming that remarkable sound. To the contrary an alternate, more optimistic point of view might hold that 15K revolutions delivered via a 1.6 liter motor is uniquely impressive, and the complexity of the new units, for both drivers and pit wall strategists, will figure significantly in the drama which will play out on track.
Fry elaborates, “We will be trying to decide when to go flat out or when to save fuel so it will be a game of strategy if you like, more than it has been so far. All of the teams will be doing the same thing so they’ll all be trying to out smart each other.“ Marmorini streamlines this new driver/ engineer dynamic: “Once the driver will ask for torque, he will push the pedal (throttle). We have to decide how much of this throttle will come from the engine, how much from the electrical, and this is part of the strategy Pat mentioned.” Luca noted that the driver’s throttle and clutch control would be critical. Jenson, regarded for his throttle control and smooth driving style, may stand to fair
better under the new formula than many of his competitors. “In a way you have to forget a lot that you’ve learned over the years in terms of the drivability of a racing car, the engine, the power output of a racing car, the way you put the power down.” Contemplating initial runs over upcoming winter testing at Jerez, Button hypothesizes “When you do get a lap it’s just gonna feel weird, because you’re running higher gears, you get into 8th before you’d get to 7th gear now, it just doesn’t make sense. So, it’s a very, very different way of driving. Even Turn 2, Turn 3
will be tough to get the power down, and you’ll need a throttle pedal that’s sort of a meter long to control the torque of the engine.” Jenson jokes, ”I’ve actually driven it in a simulator now, so I know. And I know why they didn’t want me to drive in the simulator!” Ferrari’s Marmorini is keen to emphasize another unknown as result of the new regulations: reliability. “On top of this is the reliability aspect, because each driver will have only 5 power units per season, so this means while this year we can change the KERS as many times as we want for example, without paying penalty, next year we won’t be able to.” Given the bullet proof reliability we’ve come to expect of today’s F1 cars (there were no mechanical failures in Austin), we may likely regain a sense for the way F1 once was, where mechanical attrition played central to the story. With such longevity demands now placed on each component, the championship could favor the quick driver who can win while preserving his car. And as the new V6 hybrids look potentially tougher to finesse than their normally aspirated V8 predecessors, they are certain to test the driver’s skill at getting the car pointed straight before applying power smoothly against clock and competitor, while managing a busier cockpit.