The P.U.R.E. Corporation have released the first image of a 2014 F1 engine to René Fagnan of Canadian website Auto123.com; these will be all new 1.6l v6 turbo engines. New to F1, P.U.R.E. (Propulsion Universelle et Recuperation d’Energie) are a start up business created by Craig Pollock and backed by private investors. Initially based out of Mecachrome’s facilities, they are now based at the Toyota Motorsport Gmbh’s (TMG) Cologne technical facility. Seeking to exploit the new Engine rules as a route into F1, P.U.R.E. are speculatively developing their own engine, as they do not yet have a team announced as a partner to use the engine. Customers notwithstanding P.U.R.E. are a serious proposition, with Ex-Ferrari and FIA engineer Gilles Simon employed as Technical Director, as well as former Renault Sport MD Christian Contzen acting as a consultant. The engine’s design has been in progress since July 2011 by Simon and his team, mainly using simulation tools although single cylinder testing has also been carried out. With the move to TMG the engine’s major castings have been signed off and ordered, so that testing of a complete engine can be scheduled for July this year. Thereafter, a second generation engine will be ready for the summer of 2013.
In summary the 2014 engine rules mandate a 90-degree V6 engine of 1.6 litres, with a fixed crankshaft axis and chassis/gearbox mounting points. The engine can have a single turbo charger, which must be mounted along the cars centreline. Use of KERS is extended with a greater capacity for the Kinetic system (as used currently) as well as the introduction of a Thermal Energy Recovery System (TERS). Further green initiatives are caps on fuel flow and revs limited to 15,000rpm. Despite having a smaller cubic capacity and fuel allocation, the engine will produce the same maximum power as the current 2.4l V8 engines, albeit only when the Energy Recovery Systems are in use.