Engines and Fuels Loophole

[AR3-GP]

1. The 2022 specification fuel is far more resistance to knock than the previous fuel used.

2. It's common knowledge that increased alcohol content increases knock resistance at the expense of energy density.
3. The ethanol itself has a higher octane rating than gasoline so when you mix them, the effect is to increase the octane rating of the blend.

1. it's unlikely the 2022 fuel has far more resistance to knock (it's not very different from the 2021 2020 2019 etc fuel)

2. at lean mixtures ethanol has a low octane rating - so won't increase knock resistance (of high-octane gasoline)

3. we don't know alcohol has a higher octane rating than what the FIA implies is gasoline (eg 140 octane is legal)

and as a final note to avoid any confusion, the reduced energy density and increased knock resistance were confirmed by Honda:

From Honda F1 man Yasuaki Asagi:

“When it comes to E10 fuel, the power and energy it has with the same weight are reduced. That is the characteristic of alcohol fuel.

“On the other hand, the abnormal combustion (knocking) of the old fuel will be easier to control now.

https://www.planetf1.com/news/honda-dif ... 2022-fuel/

[AR3-GP]

3. we don't know alcohol has a higher octane rating than what the FIA wants us to see as gasoline (150 octane is legal)

Why not make a rule that all the cars must run on "pump gas" from a single supplier which is supplied by the organisers, like in NASCAR? No need to cart special blends around the US (or world), NASCAR will bring it along for you?

I think it would be a great loss to take away the opportunity for collaboration and sponsorship between the oil companies and the F1 teams.

Oil companies are able to write off F1 as R&D in addition to the marketing benefit. If they are no longer allowed participate in the fuel manufacturing, it makes the business case weaker. Still possible as we've seen sponsorship from Petrobras, PDVSA, and Gulf come and go, but it's a weaker business case.

[Tommy Cookers]

1. it's unlikely the 2022 fuel has far more resistance to knock (it's not very different from the 2021 2020 2019 etc fuel)

So is that why all the manufacturers lost 40-50bhp and publically admitted to struggling with the "not very different" fuel? :?

Mercedes: https://www.racefans.net/2022/02/06/new ... des-admit/

Honda: https://www.planetf1.com/news/honda-dif ... 2022-fuel/

the matter in hand was knock resistance (not any early or continuing power loss due to reduction in fuel energy)

neither Honda nor Mercedes are saying 2022 fuel was very different (re knock) or had far more knock resistance

[AR3-GP]

1. it's unlikely the 2022 fuel has far more resistance to knock (it's not very different from the 2021 2020 2019 etc fuel)

So is that why all the manufacturers lost 40-50bhp and publically admitted to struggling with the "not very different" fuel?

Mercedes: https://www.racefans.net/2022/02/06/new ... des-admit/

Honda: https://www.planetf1.com/news/honda-dif ... 2022-fuel/

the matter in hand was knock resistance (not any early or continuing power loss due to reduction in fuel energy)

neither Honda nor Mercedes are saying 2022 fuel was very different (re knock) or had far more knock resistance

For your review:

and as a final note to avoid any confusion, the reduced energy density and increased knock resistance were confirmed by Honda:

From Honda F1 man Yasuaki Asagi:

“When it comes to E10 fuel, the power and energy it has with the same weight are reduced. That is the characteristic of alcohol fuel.

“On the other hand, the abnormal combustion (knocking) of the old fuel will be easier to control now.

https://www.planetf1.com/news/honda-dif ... 2022-fuel/

[JordanMugen]

They would lose all the other petroleum sponsorship then

Formula One Management don't seem to care about the teams' having lost all their tyre and wheel sponsorship!

[AR3-GP]

They would lose all the other petroleum sponsorship then

Formula One Management don't seem to care about the teams' having lost all their tyre and wheel sponsorship!

Tire and wheel sponsorship was extremely inconsequential compared to petroleum sponsorship.

Teams have dedicated entire liveries and naming rights to petroleum sponsors.

Tire and wheel sponsor was never more than a footnote.

[saviour stivala]

As the E10 fuel mandated for 2022 have a higher ethanol content than what was used before, the E10 fuel will have a higher peak power as ethanol acts as an antiknock additive (higher octane).

[johnny comelately]

Renault’s power unit chief has predicted the FIA will be stricter on upgrades in the future after “70 requests” from different manufacturers in 2022.

What kind of loopholes do think was used to do this? Isn’t 70 too much? And does that mean they can change fuel for reliability too?

Mercedes was the weakest engine in 2022 but the most reliable and they don’t need reliability uograde

Within the parameters and the testing methods given by the FIA tech regs, they can do an enormous amount, from the observed by Horner, Ferrari grapefruit smelling fuel (which was probably geraniol, a C10 alcohol or geranial, the E-isomeric alcohol, which with different rates can either increase or decrease ignition delay) to quite an array. So the need for it to pertain to reliability is a moot point.

[Tommy Cookers]

As the E10 fuel mandated for 2022 have a higher ethanol content than what was used before, the E10 fuel will have a higher peak power as ethanol acts as an antiknock additive (higher octane).

the E10 fuel will have significantly less energy/kg than the 'before' fuel (5% bio butanol 95% 'gasoline')
(as our E10 road fuel has significantly less energy/kg than our E5 road fuel)

this is part of how the 2022 F1 fuel is different
(before people declare this 'much' or 'very different' - they might consider E85 or the incoming US E80 race fuel)

[saviour stivala]

Yes. The mandated for 2022 E10 fuel have significantly less energy than the fuel used before. Some numbers attributed at time of its mandated were 20, 40 and even 50 bhp loss for an F1 engine. But the intense combustion development in conjunction with respective fuel suppliers at least by some engine makers not only that energy shortfall was clawed back but advantages over and above as to the new fuel better knock resistance played out handsomely for those that could maximize (up to what is permitted) in boost pressure, compression ratio and fuel injection pressure including permitted maximum number of injections as well as number of ignition sparks. Up to the previous fuel use nobody was anywhere near using the maximum of what was permitted, more or less to prevent reliability problems.

[Big Tea]

As the E10 fuel mandated for 2022 have a higher ethanol content than what was used before, the E10 fuel will have a higher peak power as ethanol acts as an antiknock additive (higher octane).

the E10 fuel will have significantly less energy/kg than the 'before' fuel (5% bio butanol 95% 'gasoline')
(as our E10 road fuel has significantly less energy/kg than our E5 road fuel)

this is part of how the 2022 F1 fuel is different
(before people declare this 'much' or 'very different' - they might consider E85 or the incoming US E80 race fuel)

I would love to know how that breaks down to each manufacturer and what the requests were.