Gearing up for 2014: The rule changes uncovered and explained - Part Two

In Part Two of our look at the rule changes which will be introduced for the 2014 F1 season, Sky Sports F1's Martin Brundle discusses talking points that might arise.

A new 'greener' sport
Is F1 right to place a greater emphasis on recoverable energy, or should it concentrate on simply entertaining the fans? Martin Brundle: "I think Formula 1 has got to be in the 21st century like that. It's got to be relevant. It's the perennial problem for F1. Is it a show? Is it a technology platform? Is it a sport? What is it? And for me, it's a very easy question to answer: it's a show. We're here to entertain, because if the people don't watch then the car manufacturers and sponsors don't get involved and it doesn't exist. We've got to put a show on so that the fans watch and the TV companies still want to be a part of it - that's what makes it work. "It needs to be fast, exciting and unpredictable - it needs to be a sport and a show like that. But at the same time it's got to be relevant for a manufacturer. They're not building V8 engines anymore, they're all downsizing. The ERS is going to be twice as powerful for five times longer per lap - it's going to be a fundamental part of making the car work. "Others will say that's still miles away from where electric cars are going to be, or hydrogen fuel cell cars, or whatever. But I think it's a significant step - Formula 1 had to do something in that direction. Unfortunately, it's going to cost the teams a lot more money. "I don't think you can put your head in the sand and say, 'Who cares about green issues? We just want to go racing. Does it bother NASCAR?' NASCAR is really agricultural, although people still flock to see it. I think Formula 1 has to be more relevant than that. Honda coming back in demonstrates that it's more appealing to the manufacturer and that there's a relevance to the products they're trying to sell. We have to tick that box." The sound
There have been fears the noise the engines make won't be quite so appealing. Did the last generation of turbo cars really sound that awful? Martin Brundle: "They were quite noisy and they used to spit flames, of course, which these ones won't - they won't be able to afford to waste that amount of fuel. But they only revved to about 9-10,000 rpm. These ones will theoretically go to 15 - although I suspect come race day, to save fuel, they'll be more like 12,000 revs. "What I am nervous about is that, in slow corners, they might not have the engine on at all. They might end up using the electric motor, because of the torque, at a hairpin or something and on the way in you might only hear the gearbox jangling - which is an awful sound. "Electric motors give their peak torque, pretty much, from just after stationary, so they could well be doing torque management through the slow corners with the main engine switched off. That won't be very exciting, will it?" The cost
As Martin points out, the new rules might place F1 in a more relevant and environmentally-friendly position that's more attractive to manufacturers, but there's also a downside. "There's no good if it breaks the teams financially. That's the problem," he adds. The 2013 season saw frank words from both Marussia and Sauber to the effect that they're struggling, and the cashflow crisis extends as far up the grid as Lotus. Putting a figure on the new engine bill is, at best, a speculative exercise but an estimate of $30 million (a three-fold increase) has been mentioned. So if the big car companies do indeed come back in, will it be at the expense of the independents? In conclusion
Are the rule changes a change for the better? Martin Brundle: "I'm open-minded. In the early days we could have three Championships. Let's say, just for the sake of it, that Mercedes do a better job than Renault, who do a better job than Ferrari - or whichever order you want to put that in. It's such a sea-change; you could have those three engines delivering completely different performance and, effectively, three Championships going on almost. "Overall I think that, in the end - inevitably - it'll be fine. But I think it could be a little bit painful in the early stages." We shall see. MW Click here for Part One.