“As a result of the 2014 regulations, we no longer talk of engines, but of power units,” explained the Head of Engines and Electronics, Luca Marmorini. “It’s a very complex project and we have been working on it for the past two years. It’s a 1600 cc turbocharged internal combustion engine and only 100 litres of fuel can be used in a race, which means that the more efficient an engine, the more power it can use. Along with the turbocharger, there will be an electric motor, which will also act as a generator, allowing for the recovery of energy from the exhaust gasses. As was already the case, a second electric motor will recover energy from braking, although it will be able to put out almost double the power of the one currently in use. All the energy generated by the electric motors will be stored in a much bigger and more powerful battery pack than the current one, but it will still be fitted below the fuel cell. The electronic control system will be even more sophisticated to coordinate and manage all these new electro-mechanical devices. A new regulation, a fascinating challenge, which places great emphasis on energy recovery and on the efficiency of the power unit.”
The presentation, which was set up inside the logistics pavilion, got underway with a look back at the past, through photos, engines and the most important cars from over sixty years of the Scuderia’s Formula 1 history, before symbolically bringing together this year’s F138 and the Corsa Indianapolis, the single-seater that was produced in 1953 to take part in the Indianapolis 500 Miles, so that past and present led the way to the future.
