New 2013 engine formula - 4 cylinder twin-turbo for F1

We recently reported on the possible return to turbocharged engines for Formula One cars by 2013. Now Pitpass, our source for the earlier news, is also reporting that a new engine technology has been submitted to the FIA.

According to Pitpass, Andreas Andrianos, CEO of Project 1221, has exclusively revealed that his company has already approached Bernie Ecclestone with a gas turbine engine developed for Formula One. He also revealed that the FIA has also received the proposal and is evaluating it. If approved, Project 1221 could supply engines to the teams as early as 2013.

Project 1221 was formed nine years ago in 2001, and has developed gas turbine technologies for a number of automotive, aeronautical and military applications. However, Project 1221 is probably best known for its aborted supercar, the MF1, a mid-engined sports car which was said to be capable of over 400km/h.

Andrianos claims a gas turbine engine would be a much cheaper solution than an internal combustion unit, together with other benefits which he believes make it an attractive proposition. Turbine engines are said to be no more thirsty than current Formula One engines but with the use of bio-diesel fuel, the engines will be more environmentally friendly. Besides that, a single turbine engine doesn't require the same amount of maintenance levels of a Formula One engine, with a single unit expected to be able to last an entire season of racing without needing maintenance work, this ultimately leads to lower costs.

Besides the obvious benefits, a turbine engine does not need traditional cooling systems and the engine can be more easily packaged into a modern Formula One car. Engine stress during competition is expected to be similar to that in helicopters and aircraft and could therefore easily handle the demands of a Formula One season.

But there's a catch. The gearbox poses a problem and a electric motor would be needed to engage the reverse gear. Team's will also have to work on the fundamental design of the car as turbine engines cannot be a structural member of the car. This would mean that engineers will have to revert to a space frame design to support the rear suspension, current Formula One cars have the rear suspension bolted to the engine block, something that was introduced by the Lotus 49 in 1967.

Talking about Lotus, Colin Chapman did also tinker with turbine power in the early 70s. He was inspired by the performance of turbine cars in the US, Chapman produced the Lotus 56B, a four-wheel drive car powered by a Pratt & Whitney turbine engine. However, it was plagued by problems, in three championship starts it achieved a best result of eight at the 1971 Italian Grand Prix in the hands of Emerson Fittipaldi. It's most notable issue was turbo lag and later the 56B was abandoned in favour of the Lotus 72 and a traditional Cosworth power plant.

With modern developments, Andrianos believes turbine engines are now more advanced and are capable of racing alongside turbocharged or normally aspirated rivals. The design of the engines also allows the FIA to restrict the air intake of the engine and this could effectively equalize engine performance. This will allow teams to configure engines accordingly but still compete on equal footing.

Such a move could potentially open the way for unheralded engine innovation within the sport. Volkswagen, for example, has produced a 2.0-litre TSI engine powered by natural gas, which it claims reduces CO2 output by as much as 80%, and has already raced at the Nurburgring 24hr in a VW Scirocco, winning its class. The German company has been forever linked with Formula One, and giving more engineering freedom for 'green' technologies may provide the catalyst for its entry.

This move could come with repercussions in the form of a expensive engine development race, and that will totally go against the cost cutting initiatives the FIA has been championing. But this could also be seen as a golden opportunity for the sport to venture into and lead 'green' technology.The most interesting part though is that such a move will allow the FIA to fulfil its mandate of assisting the development of technology relevant to road cars.

Personally though, a turbine engine with all of its benefits could still be a difficult path to choose. With expenses running sky high, the use of a turbine engine will also require an expensive total redesign of Formula One cars. Teams like Ferrari, Mclaren and Renault will most likely be up in arms because they will then be unable to market their Formula One technology for the road that is a substantial part of their current marketing plans. But I could be wrong and this could just turn out to be the answer to the "green technology" problem that Formula One needs. We will have to wait and see.