The Hybrid Engine - Is it road relevant or just a market stunt

[Nitrodaze]

The suggestion that F1 hybrid engines are not relevant to road cars would probably make some of us frown with doubt. But Adrian Newey asked a very sticky question, he says if they were, engine manufacturers in the formula should be five years ahead of their commercial competitors.

Makes you wonder if Mercedes can be said to be fives years ahead of BMW's road hybrid engines for instance. Is Honda ahead of Toyota or Renault ahead of Ford or Opel.

Of course if you are behind you would find reason to complain of those ahead. But he argues for a restriction in resources to reduce the advantages of larger teams over the midfield teams. This, he suggests would make the formula more open and unpredictable. I think l see his point, the smaller teams cannot compete with their small resource base on the innovation front compared to the army of resources that the big teams can throw at it.

I have to say, Newey thinking is the clearest anyone in the F1 world has offered to combat the problem of spending. That said, it would be a nightmare to police effectively without steeping on a few corporate toes.