F1 2014 new power train

Sorry, the mistake you make is to use common sense. The folk who control motorsport try to avoid this at all costs.

Yes, its a completely ridiculous idea isn't it? Like you say, as F1 has to jet further and further away for more and more races the idea of lopping-off two cylinders will suddenly make it OK is preposterous. But I suppose they need to appear like they are trying to reflect the trend in motoring, with more three-cylinder cars, more turbos etc. But why should F1 be relevant? Was an Auto Union relevant? Was an Alfa 8C relevant? Of course not. The principal reason though is that the rule makers have been bending over backwards to get VAG into the sport, and they were never going to come in under the existing engine rules in place. Only with a radical change would they stand a chance. They’ll slide in, buy Williams and become VW F1 or Audi F1. And then probably fail like BMW, Jaguar, Honda and Mercedes (!) before them.

As I understand it, the new rules were originally intended to coax VAG into F1 hence the initial intention of a 4 cylinder engine. When it proved impossible to make a 4 cylinder unit a structural part of the car to which the rear suspension etc coud be bolted they reverted to a V6. So bye bye VAG and hello the huge development cost of implementing a new engine programme.

If you've watched any of the indycar racing this year, you may have heard just how monotonous and dreary a V6 turbo can sound.

F1 & the FIA seem to alternate between being very slow to address controversial issues (Bahrain, Michelin tyre saga) and quite forward-thinking (new engines, KERS).  Unfortunately, they cop stick for the former from the public and whinging from the teams for the latter.

The teams spend squillions trying to make their cars go faster, working to whatever rules they are given.  The FIA constantly has to change the rules to slow them down, but by the following year they have made up the difference.

The crying from teams about the cost of new engines is a little disingenuous.  If it wasn't for Max's engine freeze a few years ago, they would have been spending ridiculous amounts on their current engines every year.  These engines' architecture dates back to the mid-90s, so in motorsport terms they are ancient and well behind latest technological thinking.

If F1 wants to stay at the forefront of technology, it needs the FIA to manage development rather than reacting after the teams have already spent huge sums, which is largely closing the stable door after the horse has bolted anyway.

I don't remember anyone complaining about the sound of turbo V6s in the '80s; were they really that bad?

The only way to really cut costs in F1 is a budget cap, and I can't see how that can be properly managed and enforced.  Even if they catch cheaters, it could be a year or two after the event, meaning results would be altered two years after the championship was finished.  This has happened in various sporting codes, where teams have broken budget or salary caps and been stripped of titles long after they were won.  I'd much rather they disqualify Lewis Hamilton on the day rather than two years later

To be honest, in the 80's you couldn't really here much of anything, the sound quality was so bad. Murray and James often sounded like they were talking into a telephone and the engines of any type were barely audible. Considering how loud a Cosworth V8 or Ferrari flat 12 is in reality what came out of the telly was insignificant.

Today, with digital/satellite TV and home cinema systems the sound has become a far more integral part of the experience for the viewer. I suspect it will not be as good.