No one quite knows which of them will come out on top, but there is the
distinct possibility that one of the three might create a much better
package than the rest. Or a much worse one.
Either way, rival teams are eyeing up Red Bull, who use Renault engines, and
wondering if they are there for the taking.
Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali said he felt there might be “huge
surprises in terms of the pecking order” in 2014, while his star driver,
Alonso, is positively banking on it. “This is our best opportunity to close
the gap [to Red Bull],” Alonso said in Singapore. “We will put all our
efforts into 2014 hopes. We start from zero next year, completely from
zero.”
Toro Rosso’s technical director, James Key, agreed the new rules would shake
things up. “I certainly think it’ll be more of an engine formula than it has
been,” he said. “Because of the ERS and the way you can recover energy, a
lot of different solutions are going to be looked at.”
Key cautioned, however, that there would still be a “very heavy aerodynamic
effect on relative performance”, and this is where Red Bull will feel
confident of retaining their advantage. They still have their not-so-secret
weapon: Adrian Newey.
With the 2013 titles all but wrapped up, Red Bull’s chief technical officer
has not travelled to the last two races, preferring to stay at the factory
and focus his energies on the 2014 car.
The thought of him at his drawing board in Milton Keynes with an HB pencil in
his hand must be keeping his rivals awake at night.
“Absolutely,” said Horner, a man who will have to contend with a few sleepless
nights of his own in the coming months. “As Adrian would say, RB10 [Red
Bull’s 2014 car] will be a ‘cousin’ of the current car so there will be
performance carry-over.
“That said, it’s a significant regulation change. The power unit is a huge
unknown. It obviously becomes more of a performance differentiator than it
has been previously. So therefore we rely heavily on Renault to make sure
they have a competitive power unit.”
If there is an area of concern for Red Bull it most likely revolves around the
consistency of Renault’s power train. Their KEYS package has frequently been
hit by electrical gremlins over the past few years and Horner is clear that
reliability will be a “fundamental factor” next year.
The bad news for the rest, however, is that neither Red Bull nor Renault
appear content to rest on their laurels, with Horner comparing winning to “a
drug”.
“Once you start winning it becomes almost like a drug; addictive,” the
39-year-old told The Daily Telegraph. “It almost becomes the fear of losing
that drives you.
“Ultimately you have to lose at some point. But it’s that adrenalin rush, that
feeling that winning gives you, that every member of the team feels, that
continues to drive the team forward.
“You have to remember we are still a relatively young team. This is our ninth
season as Red Bull Racing in Formula One. What we have achieved in a short
space of time, sometimes we have to pinch ourselves. But there is no room
for complacency. It’s all about the next event, the next season.” Their
rivals have been warned.
New formula for 2014
Red Bull have cleaned up over the last few years, but there is no guarantee
they will do so in 2014. Huge technical changes are about come in, with
Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso predicting “everyone will start from zero again”.
Engine
The 2.4-litre normally-aspirated V8 engines will be replaced by 1.6-litre V6
turbo engines, revving to a maximum 15,000rpm. The current engines produce
more than 750bhp, while the 2014 units will produce around 600bhp, with
additional power coming from Energy Recovery Systems.
Energy Recovery Systems
A larger proportion of each car’s power will come from ERS which, together
with the engine, make up the ’power unit’. As well as generating energy
under braking, ERS will generate power using waste heat from the
turbocharger. Unlike the current KERS – which gives drivers an extra 80bhp
for six seconds per lap – the new ERS will give drivers around 160bhp for 33
seconds per lap.
Fuel
To promote fuel efficiency, fuel will be limited to 100kg (220lb) per
race. At the moment fuel is unlimited, but teams typically use around 160kg
(352lb) per race.
Weight
To compensate for the increased weight of the 2014 power train, minimum
weight has been increased from the 642kg (1,415lb) to 690kg (1,521lb).