Fernandes: 'Green' engines great news
Team Lotus team principal Tony Fernandes has described the 2013 engine changes as a "really, really great step forward" for Formula One.
Motorsport's powers that be agreed last month to switch from the V8s that are currently in use to energy-efficient 1.6 litre, four-cylinder turbo units from 2013. The new system is also set to run in conjunction with KERS.
Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo has slammed the idea, saying, "for the top class of racing it sounds a bit pathetic. Why couldn't we have a V6 turbo? We should not confuse affordable with cheap".
However, Fernandes believes it's a "fantastic" move for the sport.
"I think it is great news. I am so happy about it," he told Autosport. "We've now got the scenario of F1 being very relevant to the car industry but most importantly, F1 being very relevant to the environment.
"I always said that we have got some of the best brains in the sport in terms of engineers and technical people, and wouldn't it be great if they could use their brains to make the world a better place.
"The fact that we can reduce fuel consumption by 35 per cent is phenomenal, imagine if we could transfer that to every car out there - it would be 'wow'. That is a massive number.
"Imagine also with the usage of KERS, we are recovering one per cent at the moment but we could be up to 50 per cent in years to come.
"F1 becomes so relevant because everybody has a 1.6 engine. And costs go down and money goes into better uses than just making a car as fast as possible so I think it is fantastic, it is a really, really great step forward."
Credit: PlanetF1.com (www.planetf1.com)
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