F1 Changes for 2014: Farewell to the roar of the V8

With the countdown to the 2014 F1 season well underway it’s time for a quick recap of the seismic changes being demanded by the powers that be, the FIA. Here are some of the biggest alterations in the history of F1.

With advances in engineering, the cars can get too fast for the circuit and safety becomes an issue. This is one such time and the changes being demanded are pretty comprehensive. 

It's time to say goodbye to the much loved V8s which are being replaced by 1.6 V6 hybrid engines, utilising energy recovery units and a reintroduction of turbos. These will also require larger rads than are currently used.

Additional measures to bring overall car speed down include a reduction in the size of the front wing by 15cm, the rear beam wing going, the rear flap angle reducing and lastly, the removal of any structure around the exhaust.

In an effort to improve on safety, the side protection zones will be much bigger and these have infact been redesigned by Red Bull for the entire grid. The nose is also being totally redesigned, pointing it down to prevent T-bone accidents from hitting the driver’s head. One interesting aspect to all the chassis alterations is that the driving position will be lowered, although this probably won’t be noticeable to anyone other than the driver.

Other alterations include the introduction of 8-gear ’boxes rather than 7, a more exact placement of the on board cameras and the specificity of where the new hybrid battery unit needs to go, under the 100kg fuel tank.

New partnerships abound this year, with a lot of shuffling between teams and a stable of just 22 F1 drivers.

Red Bull currently stand head and shoulders above the rest and, if the cars had remained as they were into the 2014 season, they would have been very short odds to take their fifth consecutive Driver and Constructors Championship. However, these new power-plants are game-changers that could open up the race to the title in 2014. Red Bull can’t afford to take anything for granted.

One of the reasons for this is the growing use of simulators leading up to these massive changes. This has allowed the drivers to sample accurate facsimiles of the new cars and work with their teams to create a workable vehicle for this radically new season ahead.

So, what of these new partnerships?

Young Danish gun Kevin Magnussen comes in to partner Jensen Button at McLaren, who will be looking to get back to winning ways, having been absent from the top podium more they would have wished. Magnussen has had a very swift rise up through the ranks, betraying a real talent. Hopefully this will prove a spur rather than a thorn to Button as McLaren press to be competitive. In partnership with McLaren, Honda also return to F1 in 2015, which can be no bad thing.

Over at Ferrari, the ‘Iceman’ Kimi Raikkonen joins Alonso, which should prove an interesting dynamic. As with McLaren, Ferrari are another team that desperately needs to return to their winning of yore. They’ll be anxious to capitalise on the momentous rule changes and bank on this pairing bringing the best out in each other, rather than tear the wheels off. Their 2014 car is unveiled on Jan 25^th.

At Mercedes, Nico Rosberg teams up with Lewis Hamilton. They’re old friends from their days in karting, so perhaps more of a supportive relationship than some of the other pairings. Rosberg has also raised his game, which bodes well for the team, although Hamilton remains the driver with the biggest edge. There will be a lot of pressure on Mercedes to deliver this year. They certainly have drivers with talent; can they provide a reliable, competitive car to match?

Mercedes have some experience with this nascent technology and are perceived as possible frontrunners with the new engines. However, they have also lost talisman Ross Brawn from the helm, the man with the golden touch, responsible for Schumacher’s seven titles, as well as Button’s in 2009.

Lotus bring together Grosjean and Pastor Maldonado, both drivers who love to live on the edge, although there are some other drivers who might use stronger language about what exactly that entails on the track. Lotus have worked hard on the new design and feel they have a chance to improve on a very respectable 4^th placement last season. It may all be in vain, however, with Lotus owner Gerard Lopez declaring company debts in excess of £114M…

Force India team up Ex Sauber driver Hulkenberg with Sergio Perez, who drove for the underperforming McLaren last year. Perez will be anxious to make his mark, having promised so much and feeling held back by the car. Force India will be using Mercedes engines and also looking to improve on last year’s 6^th place.

There was quite an exodus of engineers from the Red Bull team at the end of last season; not unexpected, as they will have wanted to capitalise on a great and sustained demonstration of success and with few opportunities to gain promotion in-house.

It’s not beyond the realms of possibility that Vettel may also fancy a change of stable at some point in the not too distant future, but if Red Bull can keep to their winning ways and adjust to the new toys, he probably has no reason to leave.