FIA Analyzes Turbine Proposal by F1
April 29th, 2010 — 01:41 pm
An F1 racer is maintained and developed by more engineers than a trainload of cars. It costs a lot of money, is made up of composite, light weight materials, and generates unfathomable gravitational force. With all the fuss, some people think that maybe F1 racers are really more like jet planes than actual cars. After all, both vehicles travel at incredible speeds. With this report, that theory might not be too far off.
According to Pitpass.com, F1 racers may be shifting to small displacement turbo-charged engines. In other words, racers are proposing for the use of turbine engines in the game. This proposal is currently being analyzed by the FIA, and once they give a nod to the proposal, race-ready turbines may be manufactured by 2013.
Backtracking, a few F1 fans might remember the Lotus which used turbine power on its cars. However, it should also be noted that the Lotus scored no higher than the 8th place in all attempts. The proposal is getting mixed feedback from the major players of the game. This is because while it can’t produce a monstrous difference in power, turbine engines cost a lot less to maintain.
Big race players like Ferrari are, of course, worried about this engine- shift. Once turbine engines enter the scene, a lot of race aspects may change. For example, FIA will have to set a new set of ground rules, again, to standardize F1 races. Positive feedback emanates from dependents like Red Bull. These smaller players might just catch up with the monsters with turbine engines at play.