How Much Does A Formula 1 Car Cost?

All Formula 1 cars use 1600cc turbocharged V6 engines which have been introduced since the 2014 F1 season.

Since then the engines have been developed continuously to get the maximum power output out of them. In fact, today’s F1 cars produce more power while consuming less fuel than the previously used V8 engines.

When we talk of an F1 car engine, we are not just talking about the engine block. The heart of the power unit and it.

A power unit has six components. They are the internal combustion engine (ICE), the turbocharger (TC), Motor Generator Unit-Kinetic (MGU-K), Motor Generator Unit-Heat (MGU-H) constitute four components. The Energy Store (ES) or batteries and Control Electronics (CE) complete the components.

The ICE with the assistance of the TC, turning at a maximum of 15000 revs per minute, produces an output of 700 bhp. An F1 driver is allowed to use only five elements of the power unit. Using a sixth will lead to penalty points.

The MGU-K (which salvages energy when braking) and the MGU (recovers energy from the exhaust heat) store energy in the ES (battery) and contribute another 300 bhp when the car is accelerating on a straight.

The driver of an F1 car is permitted to use only five components of the power unit at any one time.

In case he uses the sixth unit during a Grand Prix, he is liable for a penalty that will affect both the driver’s and the constructor’s rankings.

The control electronics of an F1 car helps the driver and his team monitor around 1000 sensors transmitting millions of bytes of data.

The electronic control box is located just millimetres away from the exhaust box and the wires and the electronic components need to be protected from the heat.

So when we are talking about the cost of an F1 car engine, we are talking about the Power Unit and not the internal combustion unit alone. A new engine starts at a minimum of $11,000,000.

The high Formula 1 car costs are why we no longer have engine manufacturers such as Cosworth involved in the sport, and the cost of Ford repair parts are said to have ended their involvement in engine building too.