V6 mules, or not

As 2014’s hybrid engines get closer to completion, debate over how to test them has thrown up some interesting opinions.

Speaking in Friday’s FIA press conference, McLaren technical director Paddy Lowe, Mercedes team principal Ross Brawn and Ferrari’s head of engine and KERS operation Mattia Binotto debated how they might prepare the untried V6 hybrid engines before the 2014 season. At the moment there is no provision beyond the standard short winter testing season for the new units to run in modern cars – which is a situation not before faced whenever F1 has introduced radically new powerplants.

“There have been a lot of discussions about whether we might make what is called a mule car to run the new engine next year,” said Lowe. “It’s very expensive to make a mule car, especially when we have other programmes running as well. Not just expensive in money but in terms of the people you need to design it.

“Most of the teams are agreeing that we will not have mule cars. The regulations wouldn’t currently make a mule car of any benefit anyway but we’re not agreeing to introduce any new test sessions that would use mule cars. So then the question is: can we enter a new season with a new power unit, without that track testing?”

Lowe went on to point out that technology has considerably advanced since F1 last faced a similar issue. “I think compared to previous points in time when new power trains were introduced the technology in the lab is far more sophisticated now. I think generally the manufacturers and the teams are feeling that it is realistic to bring in these new power units without needing to introduce special cars to get that earlier learning.”

That point of view stood in contrast to the one expressed by Binotto. “From an engine point of view we are very keen to run the new power unit earlier because what you can find on a car is never equal to what you can find on the dyno,” he said. “All the dynamics of the car, gearchanges, running on bumps, whatever, is quite different to the dyno itself so we are all afraid that by the start of the season you find out that you have a big issue with the engine and the power unit, and you have no time to sort it out.”

Ross Brawn pointed out that the testing ban only relates to the current generation of cars, and suggested therein may lie a route to proving the new engines. “My understanding is that there’s nothing to stop a team testing an engine with an old car if they want to. Whether that is the most effective thing to do is a different matter, because it’s a huge resource to do that and, as Paddy said, there’s a lot of improved technologies there since we last introduced a new engine. We have lots of ways of trying to understand the engine, the complete power train and [how] the systems will work together.”