So I've been a bit slow with these regs; I assumed they would be twin turbo V6s, like they were in the 80s. I wonder what the thinking behind the single turbo is (I guess it's harder to get flexible power band and high peak power; variable geometry and the like needed? And such solutions having potential application in road cars?)
Anyway, I was initially excited about this new revelation, because the last time we had six cylinders feeding one pipe at 15000 rpm, we had this:
But then I read that the regulations call for a 90 degree V angle, which is, in a way, disappointing. Ferrari used a 120° V6 in the turbo era (before switching to 90° in '87), Cosworth's was also 120°, whilst Renault, TAG and Honda settled on or near 90°. The 120° engines were even firing, whilst the others were uneven firing. So by the very end of the previous turbo era, we had 14000 rpm V6s that sounded like this:
Of course, we only have three cylinders feeding each pipe there, because of the twin turbos. However, we have the single turbo Renaults as a reference, but their uneven firing engine made them also sound closer to a three cylinder than a six:
Compare with these race-spec Triumph Triples which rev to 14000 - 15000 rpm (skip to about 1:00):
Also, the Aston Martin AMR-One is a good approximation of what an even firing, single turbo six can sound like (although I don't think it revs quite to 15000...)
Now, the 90° V angle doesn't preclude from using an even firing interval, but that would require split crankpins of 30 degrees' separation, which is large enough to require a substantial amount of material between them. Bearing in mind this would increase the length of the crankshaft and increase the bank offset, which, given the bore is fixed at 80 mm, will basically make for a much longer engine, I suspect no-one will go for it. Especially when you factor in the reliability concerns: there's a reason the 18° split crank pins in the Gallardo's 90° V10 were discontinued around the time the R8 V10 appeared. That is, unless, vibration becomes a major issue.
I think I'd prefer the sound of an even-firing single-turbo V6 engine in F1, but I'm by no means against the sound of a three-pot, either. But, the ear drum tearing scream of an F1 car has become iconic, and the danger is an uneven V6's low-pitched growl and snarl will not excite people in the same way. (This also means the X2010 / X2011 in GT5 have inaccurate sounds, given they're basically V8 screamers like the other F1 cars in the game.)
Still, we shall see what happens.
Apologies for the monster post!
D!!
