Formula One Engines

The F1 engine is the most complex car of a current Formula One car. It consists of close to 5000 parts of which around 1500 are moving elements. When all of these elements are fixed together after 2 weeks of work it it can produce more than 750hp and reach more than 20,000 rpm. At its maximum pace the current V8 engines consume around 60 litres of petrol for 100km of racing.

While manufacturers could easily continue to develop better engines within the 2006 regulations, the FIA ruled that this unnecessary cost was to be ruled out as it introduced an engine freeze as of the 2007 Formula One season. Instead of a yearly 20 to 30hp gain, the manufacturers cannot further develop their engines and are imposed a rev limit of 19,000 rpm.

At the end of 2005, the last season where the regulations allowed 3litre engines with 10 cylinders, some engines were producing more than 980hp and running very close to the 1000hp mark, a figure that was never reached since the ban on turbo engines. It was a sign for F1's governing body to change the regulations as top speeds at Monza of 370km/h were deemed hazardous for the drivers as well as the spectators.

In 2004, Renault released a small videoclip of their engine at work on the dyno. You can find it here.

Honda RA806EAt the moment, all f1 engines can produce around 720 hp with 8 cilinders in a 90 degree V-angle. The limitation of 19000 rpm as of 2007 however limits that performance a bit further.and. These engines are mainly made from forged aluminium alloy, because of the weight advantages it gives in comparison to steel. Other materials would maybe give some extra advantages, but to limit costs, the FIA has forbidden non-ferro materials.

It's not exactly known how much oil such a top engine contains, but this oil is for 70% in the engine, while the other 30% is in a dry-sump lubrication system that changes oil within the engine three to four times a minute.

Cooling

Just above the driver's head there is an air inlet that supplies the engine with air. It is commonly thought that the purpose of this is to 'ram' air into the engine like a supercharger, but the airbox does the opposite. Between the airbox and the engine there is a carbon-fibre duct (1) that gradually widens out as it approaches the engine. As the volume increases, it makes the air flow slow down. The shape of this must be carefullly designed to both fill all cylinders equally and not harm the exterior aerodynaimcs of the engine cover, this all to optimize the volumetric efficiency.

The following picture displays the uncovered rear part of the championship winning Renault R25. The element marked with (1) is the airbox that guides air into the engine (2) to be mixed with fuel in the cylinders. If is therefore not an aid for cooling but simply a requirement for the engine to function.
Secondly, the flat panels located nearly vertically in the front of the side pods are the radiators (4). While in this picture the radiator is covered with a protective hose, it is not during running as air passes through the aluminium fins of the radiator to cool down the engine coolant and oil. The position can vary a lot and it dependent on the team's ideas for the outer shape of the sidepod.

Marked with (3) is the engine exhaust system while (5) and (6) identify the rear suspension that is fitted on the gearbox.

F1 steer