yeah, I like his driving style and his attitude, he seems to just be happy to be there. I hope he gets a decent drive and has at least one decent crack ata title, hate to see him a forgotten talent like Alesi.
Biggest issue with trying to bring back old engine manufacturesr is they are all owned by others, so it restricts by economics who would come back. Alfa will never come back as they are owned by Fiat/Ferrari. Porshce could, but they are VW group, who may want to come back with VW/Audi etc etc. Plus, Porsche are probably still licking their wounds from their disastrous V12 engine in 1991. Realistically, Ford could come back as a works effot, BMW, Toyota & Honda all the expertise to do likewise as they remain active in other areas of motorsport. Maybe Peugeot would fancy another crack at some point. They actually chucked out quite good engines in the end. I think they day of the independent manufacturer is over, with the exception of Cosworth. Can;t see the likes of Brian Hart, Motori Moderni or John Judd coming back into F1 with the costs involved and as there are fewer teams to go round, they can't sell as many engines to cover their costs.
I think if Honda/Toyota/BMW came back they would deffinatly only focus on engines rather than becoming a team again like last time. In a recent interview from whitmarsh he said F1 needs more manufacturer interest and he also mentioned Hyundai. This coming from Martin must mean Mclaren are looking at the possibility of an engine supply rather than making thier own.
VW/Audi showed great interest recently. Indeed, this was one of the biggest reasons for the proposal of a four cylinder engine (which Renault were also very happy about), since it was perceived to be in-line (sic) with their marketing. But after having got the FIA to agree to a 1.6 litre in-line four, VW decided they weren't interested after all. This made the decision to abandon the tiddler engine in favour of a V6 which I see as a far better compromise. Renault objected and threatened that they could not be sure of further commitment. But then again, Renault always like to keep F1 guessing. Nonetheless, I'd not like to see them leave. As for a new engine supplier, Cosworth made their recent return and appear to be in for the long haul; and of course we should soon be seeing a McLaren engine when their contract with Mercedes expires. Apart from this, I can't see another new manufacturer until world economics recover. One wonders how long it will be before China decide to become involved. Perhaps they'll develop an engine and maybe eventually enter as a constructor, although it's difficult to see how this will be done unless it is not a fully backed government exercise. At the moment they'd be completely wiped out and therefore national pride would not benefit, but in the long-term, it is a real possibility. I also saw the request not to mention TATA, at the start of this thread but it's perhaps not such an unrealistic idea if we project forwards 10 years or so. My belief is that if China ever do decide to come aboard, India will want a piece of the action too. Another point worth mentioning is that if F1 finally does a good job in the USA, they might become a bit more enthusiastic and have a go at producing something not made of cast iron but this would require the American public to fall in love with something perceived as essentially alien and is surely a long way off. My personal preference would be to see Aston Martin and Alfa Romeo. I'm dreaming of courseâ¦
An interesting point cosi, TATA are making fast progress in the world of motorsport and have been sponsoring teams in F1 for a few years now. I dont think the TATA brand will make an engine itself but its recently bought Car manufacturer Jaguar could make a return as a team. They are already pushing the boat out with marketing and are mooted to be returning to Le mans very soon.
To be honest there's nothing in it for the engine maker, the rules have been dumbed down so much they are not allowed to do anything to their engines. As far as I can see they are basicly the same engine with different badges on them, so I couldn't care less if we had more, or even less.
I just came on here to mention TATA but I've been beaten to it, lets not forget that Japanese cars were roundly laughed at and mocked in the 70's and 80's, until a certain Japanese manufacturer made that engine that Senna and prost pwned everyone with.
I'd love aston martin to enter f1 as ateam. They are owned by dave richards, the man behind prodrive. Imagine the pit crew in flat caps and leather driving gloves.
I'm in the "Couldn't care less" bracket. It wouldn't bother me if they all had the same engine, it's not really an area that adds or detracts from the entertainment.
I take it rules must be petrol engine? becuase wonder what would happen if they allowed diesels to start competing?
Dont Forget Craig Pillock is developing his own Engines for F1 called 'Pure'. and have a green ethic. He has recently hired former Ferrari Engine designer Gilles Simon
They certainly would work, especially in this era of no refueling. However F1s move to clean fuel technology and diesel's small particle emissions do not mix
Also, they don't sound so good. I like the high revving engines at the moment rather than something that sounds like "a canal boat" (Jeremy Clarkson, on the VW Scirocco Diesel)
Dont listen to Clarkson. We are headed for V6s so it is still a step back from the glorious noise of the V10 heyday If you want a more accurate representation of how a diesel may sound then listen to the Le Mans Audis or Peugeots
I'd like to see McLaren develop engines in house. Really hoping they don't get stuck with a rubbish power unit for 2014 and we see a repeat of the 'Peugeot days'.
They were saying on practice yesterday that this has caused outraged among the current engine suppliers because Simon has had full access to all their designs whilst working for the FIA. I'd rather not see PURE enter, any new supplier has to be a road car manufacturer IMO. McLaren have developed the engine for the MP4-12C I believe, so they're probably looking to go down that route.
