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LONDON, England - Formula 1's new turbo era is "far too expensive", according to the Williams team's co-founder and engineering director Patrick Head.
The 67-year-old told the British Broadcasting Corporation he thought the sport had taken a wrong turn in focusing too much on road-relevant hybrid technology.
Head said: "It should be more about the drivers and more about entertainment on the track. The road-car people are doing a perfectly good job on hybrid anyway at the moment - I'm not sure that it needs F1 to demonstrate hybrid technology."
COST OF ENGINES
He also believed the main problem was the cost of the engines to the teams. Head said: "You could produce 600kW for €2-million (equivalent to R28-million) per team per year. I think the teams are having to pay about 10 times that.
"It's a very expensive way of powering F1 cars. The engines are fascinating kit but far too expensive for what they are supposed to be doing."
F1 team boss Flavio Briatore said: "F1 took the wrong turn due to the disproportionate influence of engineers. Is it realistic to design 70 different wings in one season?
"Unfortunately, with the abolition of the Formula 1 Teams Association, a free hand was given to people with no sense of proportion."
Stay with Wheels24 for the 2014 Canadian GP this weekend.
The 67-year-old told the British Broadcasting Corporation he thought the sport had taken a wrong turn in focusing too much on road-relevant hybrid technology.
Head said: "It should be more about the drivers and more about entertainment on the track. The road-car people are doing a perfectly good job on hybrid anyway at the moment - I'm not sure that it needs F1 to demonstrate hybrid technology."
COST OF ENGINES
He also believed the main problem was the cost of the engines to the teams. Head said: "You could produce 600kW for €2-million (equivalent to R28-million) per team per year. I think the teams are having to pay about 10 times that.
"It's a very expensive way of powering F1 cars. The engines are fascinating kit but far too expensive for what they are supposed to be doing."
F1 team boss Flavio Briatore said: "F1 took the wrong turn due to the disproportionate influence of engineers. Is it realistic to design 70 different wings in one season?
"Unfortunately, with the abolition of the Formula 1 Teams Association, a free hand was given to people with no sense of proportion."
Stay with Wheels24 for the 2014 Canadian GP this weekend.
