V8 could close the gap to the V10’s rapidly

By Nick Sparkes
January 14 2006

Toyota are confident that the lap times will drop during the course of the 2006 season. With the introduction of the new V8 engine, replacing last years V10’s, Mike Gascoyne and Pascal Vasselon feel that by taking away power, adds much more to the grip and response of a Formula One car.

There have been many debates over whether last years V10 engine is faster than this years V8. Midland, who Toyota supply engines to, conducted a test against V10’s and V8’s, to conclude that with a V10 engine in the back of your motor, your experience a much faster car. But talking at today’s TF106 launch, Mike Gascoyne and Pascal Vasselon were talking up the possibility that we might see a V8 engine lap faster than a V10.

Needless to say the cars will have less power and we expect to see lap times in the region of two seconds slower,” Mike Gascoyne said at the launch, “but there will be softer rubber and the usual pace of car development, which will see this deficit reduced all the time. Will someone actually go quicker than they did last year? In some places they will probably come close even with a V8 engine.”

Pascal Vasselon related to what Mike said. “It’s a massive difference as well in terms of top speed, so for sure the development of compounds and aero efficiency is affected. If you want to simplify it, apart from the engine, the performance of the car is mainly about the combination and correct usage of two maps: the aerodynamic map and the tyre map.”

I don’t expect to see a V8 powered car lap faster than V10 when we hit Monza, but in places like Hungary and Monaco where its about short wheel bases and talk, the V8 should have the advantage.