Former F1 star David Coulthard says the sport is heading in the wrong direction by using highly sophisticated turbo hybrid engines.
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Coulthard has weighed on the debate over the current turbocharged hybrid engines, with many suggesting they should be scrapped in favour of a return to naturally aspirated engines used prior to 2014.
The V6 turbocharged units have seen a hike in expenditure, with F1i.com reporting that the new power units cost double as much to run as its V8 predecessor.
While Coulthard says the sport needs to be “road relevant”, he says that hybrid engines are not the way forward.
“I think maybe the sport is trying too hard to save the planet,” he told F1i.
“One grand prix season burns less fuel than one transatlantic flight. Fuel usage in Formula One is not going to save the planet.
“Developing technologies in Formula One of course will accelerate those (improvements) but at the expense of having a full grid because £5m engines to £20m engines… £15m is a lot of money in anybody’s book to go and try finding this extra money.
“We have to be a little bit careful that Formula One does not try to save the world through its rules and regulations. What it does (need to) do is be road relevant, be the pinnacle of motorsport, and be as competitive across the board as is possible in any elite sport.”
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