Sport is 'formula engine' now - Lauda
"Downsizing is the motto and I think we just need to accept that the formula has changed." - Toto Wolff.
Mar.15 (GMM) The sport might now be called "formula engine", at least in the early phase of 2014, according to Mercedes' Niki Lauda.
The German marque has got a jump on its rival suppliers Ferrari and Renault after the revolutionary switch from normally-aspirated engines to the significantly energy recovery-boosted turbo V6s.
The milder tones of the engines got the thumbs-down from the Melbourne punters on Friday, who pined for the old days of earplugs over these 'sewing machines on wheels'.
Mercedes' Toto Wolff is unapologetic.
"This is modern technology, this is where road cars are going," he said on Friday. "Downsizing is the motto and I think we just need to accept that the formula has changed."
It is not just the sport's noise that has changed. Lauda said that even though the drivers are still in the spotlight, F1 is effectively now 'formula engine'.
"For the first five races we're not going to see Formula One, but a 'formula engine'," he told the Kleine Zeitung newspaper.
"Only from the sixth, seventh race will the drivers again be driving (as before)," he explained.
What he means is that the drivers are now operating very much under the control of the engineers, who are carefully monitoring fuel consumption levels and battery recharge rates.
"You can't overcharge them (the batteries), nor undercharge them," Lauda said. "Not too slowly, not too fast."
And he said a big job-list in the practice sessions is not car setup, but careful calculations to determine how Sunday's race can be run with just 100kg of fuel.
"Without engineers there is no driving at the moment," said Lauda.
McLaren's Jenson Button, the most experienced driver in the field who has raced throughout the transition from V10 to V8 and now V6, said: "You are more an engineer than a racer these days.
"But this is reality," he is quoted by the Times newspaper.
"It's not my favourite era and I've been worried that the racing will not be exciting, but we're not going back to V10s," said the 2009 world champion.
Share Or Save This Story
Jules Bianchi's father speaks of family's continued hopes
Sauber under no illusions about constructors' position
Pirelli chief calls for radical F1 overhaul
Jenson Button reunites with Brawn GP as all three 2009 chassis come together at Goodwood
Max Verstappen’s GT3 outings will not solve F1 frustration, says Jenson Button
Jenson Button explains why George Russell can handle Kimi Antonelli threat at Mercedes
"The more you run, the more you learn" - how F1's break is impacting Ferrari
Ferrari explains where Toyota gained the upper hand in Imola WEC opener
How Ferrari must step up its efforts to end its long F1 championship wait
Winners and losers from the IndyCar Grand Prix of Long Beach
Jacky Ickx: If 2026 F1 rules grow audiences "that’s fine, it’s all that matters”
Comparing top Formula 1 drivers to NBA stars
IndyCar Officiating confirms Scot Elkins as Managing Director of Officiating
How to make F1's 2026 rules simpler - and why Christian Horner was half-right
The big Stefano Domenicali interview – on the 2026 rules, Max Verstappen and F1’s future
Are F1's technical changes for Miami enough to ease 2026 concerns?
Why this quintessential late-1970s F1 car stands out in the history of the Tyrrell team
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments