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[15/09/05 - 14:22]

Successful V8 test debut for McLaren Mercedes
'There is obviously a big difference in power'


On Tuesday and Wednesday at Silverstone, the 2006 season Mercedes-Benz
Formula One engine was tested on the race track for the first time.
According to the rules, it is a V8 engine with a capacity of 2.4 litres.
Until the end of the 2005 season teams are using three-litre V10
engines. The current rules have been in force since the beginning of 1995.

Pedro de la Rosa was at the wheel of the interim Team McLaren Mercedes
MP4-20B, a modified version of the 2005 race car, which has been
adjusted to fit the new engine. Pedro completed 38 laps on Tuesday and
40 laps on Wednesday and achieved a best time of 1:22.974. Fernando
Alonso in a Renault with V10 engine posted the fastest lap of the test
with a 1:17.018.

The Mercedes-Benz V8 engine's debut came almost exactly three months
after the first dyno run. Since that day the engine has completed a
couple of thousand test kilometres on the dyno. The new V8 engine
generation will have about 200 BHP less than the current V10 engines.

The new V8 Formula One engine FO 108S has been designed and built from
scratch. The new engine rules place tighter restrictions on the
manufacturers than before. Mandatory are: the V-angle of the cylinders
(90 degrees) and the use of a maximum of two inlet and exhaust valves
each (until now the rules have stated only the number of cylinders and a
limit of five valves); an engine minimum weight of 95 kilograms; a
maximum cylinder bore of 98 millimetres; the position of the engine's
centre of gravity. Alloys for the manufacturing of engine components are
also defined exactly. The biggest challenge for the engineers was and
still is the vibrations which are completely different from the V10.



Work on the new engine began in the autumn of 2004 when a team of
engineers drew up the first concepts. The design process lasted from
Christmas to spring, a period during which the engineers also built
one-cylinder models to test pistons, connecting rods and valve drives.

The V8 engine will also significantly influence the design of the Team
McLaren Mercedes MP4-21 for the 2006 season. The V8 is smaller than the
V10 and the new engine also needs less air than before. Therefore there
will accordingly be significant modifications to the aerodynamics for
next year's car. In addition ExxonMobil has developed a new fuel and
lubricant.

Pedro de la Rosa
"The last two days of testing have gone well and we are on schedule with
the development programme. There is obviously a big difference in power
between the Mercedes-Benz V10 and the V8, and therefore I had to adjust
my driving style. In between runs over the last couple of days, the
engineers have been analysing the data and making changes to the car. It
is positive that we were testing with the new engine without problems
and long delays. During this test we have also been looking at the
difference in vibration between the Mercedes-Benz V10 and V8 engines;
however we didn't find anything we had not expected."

Norbert Haug, VP Mercedes-Benz Motorsport
"We had an uneventful track debut with our new V8 engine. With Pedro de
la Rosa at the wheel we gained first basic experiences with the new
engine on a race circuit and we completed our programme as planned. The
data we collected during over 400 test kilometres will be analysed at
Mercedes-Benz in Brixworth and will help us to develop the engine
further as planned. The première was OK and everything goes exactly
according to the plan we have set for ourselves."

I've found it interesting to compare what different drivers thought of
the V8's after driving them.

Toyota's test driver Oliver Panis is not a V8 fan, he said, "Driving
this car is different to what we are used to. It still feels as an F1
car, but of course it is much slower. I am not keen on the rule change,
but this is the way it is. We better make the best of it and that is
what we do."

Ferrari's test driver Marc Gene said, "I feel very positive about the
V8 engine particularly in terms of its driveability and acceleration.
In acceleration we notice the power difference between the V10 and V8
but the lap times are not that much slower when you consider the engine
has less horse-power and we aren't operating it near its maximum
potential.The engine sounds quite different and is more intense than
the V10. I'd tested a hybrid engine so the change was quite gradual for
me but when my colelagues test it for the first time they'll be
surprised at both the sound and power."

Then again, Gene drove on Fiorano which isn't too long. But it's all
interesting.

tim (AT) nocomment (DOT) com wrote:

This is such shit! F1 is officially dead.

"Mean Mr Mustard" <macusr023 (AT) yahoo (DOT) com> wrote


It's sad that non-technical people wrote the technical specifications. While
not dead they should eliminate the "Formula" from Formula 1.

Where's the formula in a spec series?

Jim Brown wrote:

to restrict things this much.