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Manufacturers insist V6 must remain basis for future F1 engine rules

F1 engine manufacturers have agreed that any move towards 1000bhp engines for 2017 must involve the current V6 engine configuration as a starting point, according to Toto Wolff.

Toto Wolff, Mercedes AMG F1 Shareholder and Executive Director

Toto Wolff, Mercedes AMG F1 Shareholder and Executive Director

XPB Images

Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes AMG F1 W06
Bernie Ecclestone
Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari SF15-T
Cyril Abiteboul, Renault Sport F1 and Christian Horner, Red Bull Racing, Sporting Director
Fernando Alonso, McLaren MP4-30
Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull Racing RB11
(L to R): Yasuhisa Arai, Honda Motorsport Chief Officer with Fernando Alonso, McLaren

None of the sport's four manufacturers wants to return to V8 powerplants, as has been suggested by Bernie Ecclestone, and Mercedes boss Wolff says that the V6 plan now has priority.

“The discussion about a 1000bhp engine has been around quite a while,” he said.

“And I appreciate very well that it needs to be a spectacular formula, and if that's the way forward then we should continue to work on it. But there are various groups coming together in terms of how the 2017 rules can look like in terms of power unit, and in terms of the chassis side.

"Yesterday there was a very valuable meeting, Charlie [Whiting] was there, Bernie was there, and concepts have been put in place to make it a spectacular new formula in 2017.

“All engine manufacturers are pretty clear that the current engine architecture with a hybrid component needs to stay in place. This is the direction we've headed to, and this is at least at the moment the current status between Ferrari, Renault, Honda and Mercedes.”

Wolff says that the current engines will in any case gain power as they are developed, and that a change to the fuel flow rules would be the easiest way to provide an extra boost.

“I think by 2017 those engines, between all manufacturers, are going to have north of 900bhp. Then it's a question of how do you want to market that? Does it make a big difference between having 950bhp or 1000?

"There are pretty easy tools to increase the horsepower, such as increasing fuel flow. If you want to increase the fuel flow by 10kgs an hour or 20kgs or whatever, then you are going to have more than 1000bhp.

“But you need to redesign crucial components of the engine, you need to make them more reliable, and that again involves a lot of development costs.

"We all understand that we want to have a spectacular formula, not only on the chassis side but also on the power unit side, and this is what's being discussed at the moment – how to achieve it.”

“There's a governance in place and for 2017 you need a simple majority in the F1 Commission to change the rules, and this is the reality.

"If you're being a hardliner and you're blocking everything, you're going to be run over. So let's stay on the table and discuss in a sensible way what we can do and what is for the benefit of the sport - this is what we're trying to do.”

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