Just a hypothetical...

What if a major company...let's say Nissan just for the sake of arguement... decided they wanted to get into Formula 1. It's a big company that has the funds and ability to build a team and car completely in house. They don't want to be Nissan/Ferrari or Nissan/Renault. They just want to be Nissan.

With the current rule of frozen engines.... what in the hell engine would they run? They'd have to develop a new engine, but that's not allowed correct? Would they be forced to contract out their engine?


(forgive me, I had a dream about it last night and now I'm curious)

 

They'd have to hire Fred Flinestone as their driver.

 

iono cuz nissan is owned by renault so they r kinda already in f1... kinda...

 

Nissan would be able to develop and run their own engine if they so choose. All the engine freeze did was blanket any future development and establish a rulebook when it comes to engine building.

There are specific, I mean VERY SPECIFIC rules now with regard to engine makeup, sizes, tolerances, materials used and blueprints. They have to conform the exact specifications set forth in the new rules. There is nothing stopping a manufacturer producing their own engines as long as they conform to the new standards and rules.

If you look at McLaren, Ferrari, Renault, Toyota etc, all their engines are 99.9% alike give or take a few minor altercations that do not effect the performance and/or output levels of the engine.

The freeze is actually only in place for 5 years, technically 10. But after 5 years future developmental changes may be allowed if a 100% vote in favor of the change exists.

Next year will be something to watch with the new Kinetic energy recovery (hybrid technology) being permitted. This will allow them to use the engines deceleration and braking forces and/or heat to generate electricity to help propel the cars.

The new engine freeze regulations were put in place in order to reduce overall costs and promote more environmentally friendly engines. Honestly I think its a load of BS. I think it was primarily enforced because of the espionage between Ferrari and McLaren.

Bottom line, all of these new regulations & rules are destroying F1 in my view. Given a few more years, at this pace it will be pretty close to Nascar minus the open wheel design.

Mosley should be thrown into the depths of hell and take Bernie Ecclestone with him.

 

Its not 99%, each engine is vastly different. I've seen f1 engines up close the BMW during Williams, Mercedes and Cosworth. I've seen very different pistons, connecting rods and lots of other things... thats the tip of the ice berg (I have a piston from a Cosworth v10) The engines are all made within specific parameters; but its like comparing apples and oranges in terms of similarities from one engine to the next.

The engine freeze was not enforeced because of StepneyGate. The engine freeze was agreed to in 2005-2006 and the final engine designs were pretty much what they ran at the last few races of 06'. The engine freeze was one step to reduce cost. I love technology and yes I wish F1 was back to how it was in the late 90's, but the escalating costs are making it harder for the privateers... Super Aguri, Williams finally got some good money this year, and Force India got a $30 million increase in budget from Vijay Mallya... so that teams budget is now about 1/4 of Mclaren, Ferrai or Toyota.

Drivers are all saying next years aero restrictions are going to make racing better. Taking away 50% of the current DF. Aerodynamics is what is killing F1, the big teams can spend so much money on wind tunnel testing, running 24 hrs a day. Mechanical grip is whats needed. The cars right now can't run close because the chasing car loose all front aero grip. Next year you won't see all the crazy flaps, and scoops and tiny wings like you currently see on the car.

Also the re-introduction of slicks is the best part, thats probabaly a good 35% to 50% more grip i'd think; if not 50%+. Last I heard was if a F1 car oversteers and rotates past 12 degrees it looses all aero grip. The groved tires loose traction as well, the slicks will allow for more sliding and better racing w/o traction control.

I'd have to say F1 is going back to how it was in the late 90's early 00's.

 

The freeze didn't just make strict rules. It said that engines could not change outside of what they were last year. No new engine development. F1 cars aren't running a "spec" engine like you suggest. They are vastly different. So if a major car company decided they wanted to run F1, by the rules they wouldn't be allowed to do any engine development work correct? They'd have to run an '07 engine. But what '07 engine? And if they ARE allowed to develop a new engine (as they'd have to) wouldn't that mean they have access to the latest technology?

 

Straight from the FIA press release.

This isn't going to stop engine development mind you. Teams will still be developing engines for use outside of Formula 1 for when the ban is lifted, of course if it is extended, then its another story.

 

What that means is that each team is only allowed to run it's 2007 spec engine.

That isn't implying that all the teams are running an engine that is 99.9% the same like you've suggested. A "spec" engine would mean that all the teams run identical engines. Tires for example, in F1, are "spec". All the teams run the same spec tires. Don't let the "spec" in "2007 spec" mislead you. All that's implying is that each team must use the engine that they designed for the 2007 season. In 2012, the engines will be just as different from team to team as they were in 2007. The engines are vastly different from team to team.

My question is, where would a new manufacturer fall? They didn't build an engine in 2007, so they don't have that to base theirs off. They'd have to run a brand new engine.... which isn't allowed correct?

 

i think they'd just have to design an engine to the 2007 specs. But in all reality it'd be a waste of ~$100 million. They're better off leasing Cosworth engines and rebranding them, or buying Cosworth from Gerry Forsythe/ Kevin Kalkhoven and then developing it if aloud. It'd all be cheaper than developing a new engine from scratch.

 

What team(s) does Cosworth have an engine affiliation with?