I have been reading a lot of speculation in the F1 press where they attempt to compare the relative strengths and weaknesses of the three manufacturers regarding their 2014 power units. Personally, I don't think anyone can draw any sensible conclusions until the teams start testing. But it would seem that there are four main areas of concern for each manufacturer.
1. Fuel efficiency – They will be limited to 100kg whereas they currently use 160kg. The fuel flow is also restricted.
2. Reliability – the power units have to last for 4,000 km whereas currently they only have to last half of that.
3. Power unit weight – they seem to be a lot heavier than people thought
4. Cooling the system – the units will generate a lot of heat that has to be dealt with.
Homologation of the engines takes place on 1st March 2014 so the manufacturer that has managed to deal successfully with the problems will have a clear advantage.
One other issue that has intrigued me is in regard to Nico Hulkenberg's weight. I have checked out the weight and height of most of the current drivers and calculated their BMI. Below is a table showing the results
Driver Weight kg Height m BMI
Adrian Sutil 75 kg 1.84 m = 22.2
Mark Webber 75 kg 1.85 m = 21.9
Paul di Resta 74 kg 1.85 m = 21.6
Jenson Button 72 kg 1.82 m = 21.7
Romain Grosjean 71 kg 1.80 m = 21.9
Nico Rosberg 71 kg 1.78 m = 22.4
Valtteri Bottas 70 kg 1.73 m = 23.4
Nico Hülkenberg 70 kg 1.84 m = 20.7
Fernando Alonso 68 kg 1.71 m = 23.3
Lewis Hamilton 66 kg 1.75 m = 21.6
Kimi Räikkönen 62 kg 1.75 m = 20.2
Felipe Massa 59 kg 1.66 m = 21.4
Sebastian Vettel 58 kg 1.76 m = 18.7
Hulk does not seem to be all that fat but Vettel is anorexic. If the figures are correct.
http://www.espn.co.uk/f1/motorsport/driver/index.html
2014 Power Units & Driver Weights
posted on 20/10/13
The recommended limits are a minimum of 18.5 and a max of 25.
So I think that Vettel is just borderline anorexic.
posted on 20/10/13
Fascinating read. They will have to increase the number of power units with a 22 race season
posted on 22/10/13
I know the topic has been talked about before but the engines just sound a bit wimpy.... I know the sound is not really a technical aspect of the engines but from an F1 experience point of view, something definitely has been lost.
Give it 5 years and it'll be silent electric engines!!
posted on 22/10/13
I don't think that they will sound like that when they are actually racing. The current sound is a bit artificial as they are being run on test beds.
Apparently, they will still sound like racing engines but just a bit quieter. You will also be able to hear when the turbo kicks in.
The cars will be more difficult to drive as the backend will be stepping out on cornering. If Vettel manages to perform well next year, without the exhaust blown advantage he currently has, then I might re-avaluate my opinion of him.