F1: Todt says current engine formula should be kept

FIA president Jean Todt believes Formula 1 should not abandon the current 1.6-liter turbocharged engines amid criticism of the power units.

The new engines were introduced at the start of last season, with complaints in some quarters about the noise and the both the 100kg-per-race fuel limit and the 100kg/h fuel-flow cap. But Todt thinks F1 should instead focus on better communicating the quality of the technology.

"If somebody says to me that a good prescription is to get rid of these engines, I don't agree," said Todt. "I agree that they're too expensive, but it was the right thing to have these engines.

"You will remember the first proposal – which I accepted – was for four cylinders, was a big mess. [People said] 'We don't want four cylinders.'

"Who won Le Mans? Porsche. What engine did they have? Four cylinders. Nobody could argue Porsche is not a good brand or not a sports brand. I think we should communicate more about that.

"Here, we all have a responsibility to inform: my people, myself, the competitors, the media. We should all work as a team because motorsport is not only the teams, it's all of you."

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Todt (RIGHT) added he believes criticism of the current rules as being about economy runs is not well-founded, suggesting some drivers' complaints are rooted in a lack of success under the rules. But he is open to modifications to the regulations if it would improve F1.

"I think the engine is a great evolution, but too expensive," he said. "Now, everybody says, 'We don't like the racing because it's fuel consumption, it's brakes and it is tires.'

"The first year I was the boss of a team in F1 was 1993 and we had problems with brakes, we had the problem of tire wear and the problem of being careful with the fuel. So it's not something that has just come in, but does it mean we should not consider it?

"If the answer was, 'Let's give an allocation of 5kg more fuel,' I don't have any problem. But at the moment, if you ask some bitter drivers if they are happy, they will say no.

"If you have a sincere discussion, why is that guy not happy? It's because he is not winning..."

Originally on Autosport.com