Should Formula One be single engine format?

From Blogger Pictures

Formula one began 58 years ago with the Alfa Romeo team of Farina and the great Fangio hitting the top, and ever since the first race in 1950, the aim of formula one has been to put engineering to its limits, safely, how fast can we go without dieing?

As a motorsport engineering student, I see the whole idea behind the sport is engineering to perfection, the best car, fresh ideas force breakthroughs and the cars get faster, more efficient and safer, and in time these developments inevitably get passed down the line to standard road cars. I believe removing the freedom of engine design and engineering from the formula one teams would be a massive step in the wrong direction.

A look at the first championship-winning car - Alfa Romeo 158/159 -

This is one of the most successful cars ever to be put onto the track. Designed firstly in 38 and developed throughout the 50's with the latest design and engineering, it was a single seater, 1498 cc, and 8 cylinder root type supercharger with around 425 BHP at its peak in 1951.

The modern day car of Lewis Hamilton however - Vodafone Mclaren Mercedes MP4-23

Lewis Hamilton recently raced this latest championship winning car to victory in Interlagos, Brazil. It boasts a 2400 cc engine (almost double the Alfa, get still with a V8 engine), which develops over 7000 horsepower at 19,000 Revs per minute! That's 15 times more powerful than the car of 50 years previous.

Alot of fantastic minds go into developing the engines and parts to an F1 car. Even with a set engine set I guess there are still areas to develop: removing weight, extra grip, down force, better efficiency levels, cooling systems etc.. But the primary weapon of a formula one car is obviously its engine and the flair of design and ingenuity going into designing these would be a massive shame to loose. The developments of an engine in the history of the sport is very clear, a V8 engine has become over 15 times more powerful!

I can see the argument for a similar engine however. The smaller teams such as Force India and the recently unfortunate Honda team would benefit greatly from a level playing field, whereas teams such as Ferrari and McLaren would find themselves with yet more competition. It may make for a more open competition, but it depends, should a team win purely on driver skill and the speed of their pit crew? Or is the engineering and massive amount of work that goes into reaching for that extra bit of speed and grip what makes you a worthy champion? I believe both, a team may have a great driver, but to be true champions its fantastic to see a true breakthrough in car technology in the process, which pushes one team to be greater. Forcing all competing teams to improve, become more efficient with methods, refine designs, and more importantly, get faster.