We've now had two Grands Prix in the 2014 formula one season. It's been interesting to watch the teams deal with the teething problems the vastly different power systems are creating. If you'd said to me five years ago that F1 was going to abandon the screaming 19,000 rpm 2.4 litre V8's for a 1.6 litre turbo V6, I'd have asked, "What you been smoking?" But here they are in race cars that are truly hybrid vehicles. But if you thought last year's cars were complicated beasts, they look like Model T's compared to this year's crop.
So far, Mercedes has been doing the best at having the least number of reliability issues, and it shows in the results. Red Bull is not too far behind, they seem to have run afoul of the maximum fuel flow regulations. Sadly Lotus, who last year, was looking to be a force to be reckoned with, struggling big time this year to even finish a race. Williams is looking much improved this year. Time will tell how all the teams sort out the new power units. I've got the PVR set to record the qualifying sessions and race in Bahrain this weekend. I won't be able to watch them until Sunday night – so if watch the broadcasts live, don't tell me who won.
I miss the sound of last year's engines. It was a clear indication that something very incredibly violent was going on inside those engines. A bit of arithmetic, reveals that an engine spinning at 18,000 rpm has its pistons going up and down 300 times a second! Marvellous!
This year's engines and electric hybrid drive produce a lot more power and torque. They also use a third less fuel in a race. Both good things. But the domestic sound they produce is just not very exciting.
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