Allianz Safety Focus - New Rules

The engine ruling has been introduced by the FIA to cut back costs. For example, it costs roughly 300,000 euros to build a Formula 1 engine. Approximately 200 engines, each of which takes about 80 working hours to assemble, have been provided up till now by the manufacturers each season. The new ruling will help team budgets - and it is revolutionary. For the developers this means that the general conditions have been altered completely in comparison to earlier times.

"This 'one-engine' ruling," said BMW Racing Director, Dr. Mario Theissen, "boosts the significance of reliability."

That was not always the case. Previously in Formula 1, highly-tuned, so-called 'quick burners' were used that were designed to last for one fast qualifying lap only. In 2003, engines had to hold out for both qualifying and the race. Now, the ten-cylinder engines will have to contend with double the former distance of more than 400 kilometres - and, while doing so, their performance must drop as little as possible. It's a formula with several unknown factors.

This is compounded by additional parameters:

* high reliability over an average of 2,600 gear shifts per Grand Prix, roughly eight million ignitions per race distance, a piston speed of up to 40 metres per second, exhaust temperatures of up to 950 degrees Celsius, loads of more than three tons acting on each connecting rod

* large torsional stiffness, as the engine is a structural part of the car;

* small size for ideal aerodynamics. Rule of thumb: the more room for the rear-end diffuser which generates downforce, the better;

* low weight to ensure that plenty of options are available for the car's balance;

* excellent driveability; in other words, the lowest possible, uniform engine-performance characteristic across the speed range

* low fuel consumption, vital for having refuelling stops as late as possible, and so theoretically fewer of them.

This list hints at just how complicated the puzzle was for the engine manufacturers. In principle, if an engine is to last longer, each individual part has to be of a more robust design. However, this also means a larger and heavier engine, which in turn compromises speed and so power. The engine developers were confronted with a daunting task: to minimise these losses while also guaranteeing reliability.

Initial trial runs on the engine test stands were undertaken in the spring of 2003. Modifications to the new unit on the computer were based on each current engine. An ongoing process. For example, the BMW WilliamsF1 Team's engine from last year underwent 1,388 enhancement measures during the course of the season. The new Formula 1 engines provide only five to ten percent less output than last year's models, despite the fundamentally new task at hand.

In contrast to a Formula 1 engine, a passenger-car engine has to be a genuine long-distance runner. After all, it has to run for not 800, but 250,000 kilometres under normal driving conditions - two-thirds of the distance to the moon, by the way.

"However, we always have to keep an eye on weight here, too," explained Dr. Christoph Lauterwasser from the Allianz Center for Technology (AZT). "One development goal, for example, is to achieve a higher engine-output density: in other words, a low engine weight with given output. Especially on vehicles with front-wheel drive, lighter and smaller engines help to achieve a more favourable weight distribution."

Performance in Formula 1 and passenger-car production is defined by the variables of output, consumption and reliability. A Formula 1 engine is a unique element with a precisely calculated service life. However, even if the engine breaks down, there is still hope for the team: an engine may be replaced if it is damaged during practice. However, a driver is moved ten places further back on the starting grid for every engine change. If the engine is replaced after qualifying, the driver must start from the back of the field.

By the time the new ruling finally comes into effect for the Australian Grand Prix these engines that have been completely redesigned down to the last detail will virtually be outdated models. This is because - according to FIA plans - from 2005 onwards, the engine can only be changed after two Grand Prix weekends; from 2006, it will even have to last for six races. The research and development laboratories are already hard at work, searching for even better performance and pushing for new limits.