A consultant for the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile has found that the complicated nature of Formula 1’s current turbo-hybrid engines has led to a delay in bringing sustainable biofuels into the sport.
In an interview with German motorsport magazine Auto Motor und Sport, Gilles Simon noted that the precision engineering which allows engine manufacturers to generate so much power with a 1.6l V6 turbo-hybrid engine also complicates what fuels they need to power them.
Mr Simon noted that the engines place a particular demand for fuel with a huge amount of energy density required to generate enough power to complete an entire race distance.
The decision to delay bringing sustainable biofuels into the sport until 2025 means the fuel formula can be developed at the same time as the new engines which will also enter the sport in 2025.
Currently, prototype biofuels have been made available to Ferrari, Honda, Renault and Mercedes, the four current engine manufacturers to enable them to test the new fuels.
Whilst Mr Simon concedes that the prototypes fuels are “certainly not perfect” yet, the engines do run on it and so it can be used for early testing and to see how feasible a 2023 launch could have been.
The aim is by 2025 to have a more sustainable fuel that is used less by cars, is less polluting and allows for more of the car’s power to be generated by electricity.
Currently, the 2025 regulations are being developed, with information soon to be exchanged with the main manufacturers in the series.