Is Formula 1 getting worse?

Yesterday, the engine that will be supplied by Renault for the 2014 season was revealed, giving us an idea of what F1 will sound like next March. I must admit that I quite like the new sound, however it's not quite Formula 1 in my opinion. 

The Renault 1.6 litre V6 Turbo engine has been named the 'Energy F1-2014'. The biggest differences between the 2013 spec, and 2014 spec engines are of course, the change from 2.4 litre to 1.6 litre, from V8, to V6, and instead of revving 18,000 rpm, the new engine units will be limited to 15,000 rpm. The power produced from the new engines is around 600bhp, which will become 760bhp thanks to the powerful ERS (Energy Recovery System). 

One of the new rules for 2014 is that cars must be able to finish a race with only 100kg of fuel, so one of the main objectives for engine manufacturers at the moment is to increase fuel efficiency, whilst managing to give as much power as possible. Renault believe that the Energy F1-2014 is 35% better at fuel economy than its predecessor.

Here is a clip of the Energy F1-2014, giving us a preview of what it will sound like next year:

Rob White, Renault’s deputy managing director (technical), explained: "The engines remain high-revving, ultra-high output competition engines. Fundamentally the engine noise will still be loud."

"It will wake you from sleep, and circuit neighbours will still complain. The engine noise is just a turbocharged noise rather than a normally-aspirated noise: you can just hear the turbo when the driver lifts off the throttle and the engine speed drops."

Will Renault be able to smooth out all of
their engine and alternator problems for 2014?

"I am sure some people will be nostalgic for the sound of engines from previous eras, including the preceding V8, but the sound of the new generation power units is just different. It’s like asking whether you like Motorhead or AC/DC. Ultimately it is a matter of personal taste. Both in concert are still pretty loud."

In 2014, Red Bull and Renault will continue their partnership, as well as the new recruitment of Toro Rosso, who are currently having their engines supplied by Ferrari. Lotus and Caterham are currently the other two teams that Renault supply, but they are yet to confirm who they will be receiving their engines from.

Renault will have some competition from Ferrari, Mercedes and possibly Cosworth and Pure. 

The return of a classic partnership such as Williams-Renault won't happen next year as they have confirmed a deal with Mercedes. The German team will also supply McLaren for one last year before the Woking based squad switch to Honda, hoping to return to the success of the Prost and Senna days. Force India will also be using Mercedes engines also.

Marussia seem set that they will be using Ferrari's engine, using Jules Bianchi as the link.

Could Jules Bianchi, Ferrari's ex-test driver
ensure that Marussia get Ferrari engines
from 2014 onward?

Sauber are yet to confirm who's engine they will be using, however it's likely that they will be continuing their partnership with Ferrari.

Now, is F1 getting worse? If the tyre supplier for 2014 sort the tyres out, no. It's just like the stepped noses being introduced in 2012, everyone's used to them by now, - I actually miss Ferrari's! apart from maybe Red Bull's, which seems to get worse every time I look at it. The sound of the V6 engine will be strange at the 1st Grand Prix of the 2014 season, but will the people who miss the V8 engines stop watching F1 because of it? Probably not.