The noise of cars is always music to any diehard motorhead, and Lewis Hamilton was no different. The Mercedes driver’s spectacular reaction in 2020 said it all when Fernando Alonso took his 2005 championship-winning car for a spin at the Yas Marina Circuit.
As the R25 garnered the attention of Hamilton, there was one more soon-to-be F1 driver who took notice. Zhou Guanyu was also present there during the 2020 Abu Dhabi GP for the post-season test with Fernando Alonso. Zhou was Renault [currently Alpine]’s reserve driver for that season, and was in awe as Alonso drove past.
Hamilton was speaking to the press when the R25’s noise made him turn around and take cognizance. Surprised by the spectacular sound, the Mercedes driver stopped his interview to admire the beauty. “Oh, that sound it’s just so good man,” he said. “That’s the greatest sound of a racing car ever. I hate that they got rid of it.”
Notably, the 2005 season marked the end of V10 engines, and the R25 retired as the last championship-winning car from that generation. From 2006, F1 mandated V8 engines for all cars, and then moved to V6 in 2014.
Renault with their R25 won eight races and claimed 18 podiums in 19 races. Interestingly, one of F1’s genius designers and the current technical director of the Mercedes-AMG F1 team, James Allison, designed that car.
Why V10s are not coming back despite their popularity
Red Bull Racing’s chief technical officer, Adrian Newey is a big fan of the V10 engines. Despite his and many other motorsport enthusiasts’ liking, the return of the V10 engine seems unlikely. The reason? It wasn’t sustainable for the environment.
Newey, speaking about the same, informed that despite the V10 engine’s amazing sound, it was not fuel efficient and directly collides with F1’s current goal of sustainability. Therefore, the FIA has no intention of bringing them back.
“I think most people would say, from a spectacle point of view, you probably want a high-revving V10, normally aspirated. We all kind of pine after the V10s and even the V8s of the 2000s. But of course they are not fuel efficient. So, then you have to have the balance of spectacle versus social responsibility,” revealed Newey as per Motorsport.
F1 is all set to change the engine regulations in 2026, with a more sustainable and hybrid power unit. Newey, who has designed many championship-winning cars to date, reflected on how the series would change completely after this. However, the primary engine would still be a V6.
Newey feels that the 2026 regulations are more of a ‘marketing’ gig. Given that these regulations will focus more on the increased electric output of the power unit, the Briton feels it may lead to absurd driving solutions. Besides, there have also been challenges with the active aero components that the FIA have proposed in tandem.
