Bojan Vrbnjak
Even today, many fans miss the sharp sound V8 engines, which were by the end of the year 2013 used in Formula 1. Then came the period hybrid powertrains, which suddenly sounded like a fan described: “Like a house vacuum cleaner with a defect."
When the brand Renault at the end of 2020 said goodbye to Formula 1, as the French will perform under the name this year Alpine, wanted to end this chapter with dignity. V Abu Dhabi they brought a race car Fernanda Alonso, with whom the Spaniard of the Year 2005 won the title of champion. And in it three-liter V10 engine with a killer sound. It was the last ten cylinder engine Renault, because from 2006 onwards they were introduced 2,4 liter V8 engines. The Asturian said after a few rounds: “We all miss this incomparable sound of old bikes, not only the fans but also the people in the paddock, including the racers. We miss this Formula 1, which we fell in love with as young boys and longed for on television. Those few rounds were something special. I noticed that almost all the members of the Renault team were hanging on the pits fence and were excited about the race car of some other era."
At the moment, there is a debate about what it will look like the engine of the future, which is due to enter into force in 2025 or 2026. From 2022 onwards, the development of current hybrid powertrains frozen. Former Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone he sees a cheap way that could attract more fans again. For colleagues from Motor Sport Magazine said: “I know I’m going to get in trouble for this, but let’s get the old V8 engines out of storage. They all have them tucked away somewhere, costs would immediately drop drastically, engine sound would return and we would have five years to discuss the next generation of engines in peace. Formula 1 need not be associated with series production. People forget it’s a fun industry. And if he can no longer entertain people, then he has no business base. Fans and other people in the stands are not interested in how super efficient today's engines are or how much power is obtained from as small a volume as possible and the like. Noise and sound are important, and this has always been the case."
And while ecclestone speaks to many fans from the bottom of their souls, the return of old engines is all sooner than possible. Because Jean Todt, President FIA stressed in FIA magazine: “Bringing back bigger and louder engines would not be accepted by society. If we were to say let’s reuse engines like we had ten years ago, then many car manufacturers would not cooperate. I can argue that in this case, three of the four manufacturers would say goodbye to Formula 1."
