The Future of F1 Engines: A Tale of Two Strokes

Ferrari's recent unveiling of its F-134 engine, a two-stroke prototype designed to tackle the efficiency problem plaguing Formula One, has sparked debate about the future of F1 engines. The F-134 boasts advanced technology features such as an oil sump, valves, and forced induction, which could make two-stroke engines cleaner and more efficient. However, even if it were possible to mass-produce a two-stroke engine, Ferrari's lead designer, Jonathan Knight, has hinted that the team is not interested in pursuing this path.

Knight cited the FIA's stance on new power unit manufacturers like Porsche and Audi, which have been involved in engine discussions for 2025. The FIA has deemed any proposed changes to the current four-stroke design unattractive to potential new power unit manufacturers. Moreover, existing F1 teams are not keen on reinventing the combustion engine, as more of the power in 2025 will come from the hybrid electric system and less from combustion.

Symonds, Ferrari's racing director, has expressed his desire to see two-stroke engines in F1, citing their potential for producing a unique exhaust note reminiscent of high-revenue V8s, V10s, and V12s. Christian Horner, Red Bull boss, echoed this sentiment, stating that F1 is about the noise, entertainment, and speed, and that a two-stroke engine could be an exciting addition to the sport.

However, not everyone shares Symonds' enthusiasm for two-stroke engines. Mercedes boss, Toto Wolff, has been vocal about his disdain for revisiting Flintstone's engine era, emphasizing the need for sustainable power sources. The FIA, Wolff, and most teams concur that advanced sustainable power sources are the key to staying at the forefront of technology and innovation.

The allure of two-stroke engines is undeniable, with their potential for producing a unique sound that sets them apart from four-stroke engines. Nevertheless, the practicalities and costs associated with implementing such an engine in F1 have proven prohibitive. As a result, it seems unlikely that we will see two-stroke engines in Formula One anytime soon.

The current teams and the FIA have largely ruled out advanced two-stroke engines for 2025 and beyond. The focus remains on evolving the existing four-stroke design, with advancements in hybrid electric systems being at the forefront of development. While this may not be as exciting as hearing a two-stroke engine roar to life, it is a testament to the power of innovation and progress in F1.

The nostalgia for high-revenue V8s, V10s, and V12s is palpable, with many fans fondly remembering the sound of these engines. The prospect of a two-stroke engine producing a similar exhaust note is tantalizing, but it seems that we will have to content ourselves with the existing technology for the foreseeable future.

The 'Give It The Beans' Shirt: A Symbol of F1's Changing Times

In a nod to the nostalgia for high-revenue V8s and V10s, Donut Media has created a "Give It The Beans" shirt featuring a catchy slogan that references the sweet sounds of F1 engines. The shirt is available for purchase on the Donut Media website, priced at $29.98.

The 'Give It The Beans' shirt is more than just a novelty item; it represents a collective longing for the unique sound of F1 engines. As we move forward in an era dominated by hybrid electric systems, it's essential to hold onto our heritage and celebrate the technology that made F1 what it is today.

Whether you're a die-hard F1 fan or simply appreciate the nuances of high-performance engines, this shirt is a must-have for anyone who loves the sound of revving engines. So go ahead, treat yourself to a little nostalgia – you deserve it.

WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: en- Some questions are soimportant they demand an answer.Even if you're the only onebrave enough to find a solution.Questions like can a weedwhacker power a Formula One car?I'm doing the math now.Where are all these numbers?Five prime.(indistinct chatter)No, you can't.It's just not possible.I'll be there in a minute.But there are rumors thatjust like weed whackers,chain saws and dirt bikes,the future of F1 enginescould be two-strokes.So today we're goingto dig into the changescoming to the F1 powerunits and figure outif we'll really be hearing that stroke brain a Grand Prix someday.four-strokes killed the two-stroke,but now they're looking for a comeback.Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah.two-stroke, we're back.(upbeat music)- Big, thanks to Omaze forsponsoring today's video.Guys this car is so (bleeps) nicethat I'm just gonna cut to the chase.One of you has a chance totake home this BMW M2 CSwith taxes and shipping included.This M2 is equipped with athree liter twin turbo charge,inline six, pushing 444 horsepower.What, are you serious?The blue metallic pairs super wellwith the all black interiorand with special toucheslike M badges, I know you love those,19 inch forged wheels, look great.There's lots of carbonfiber all over the place.You'll be turning heads whetheryou're cruising downtownor just park in the driveway.For your chance to win, donatetoday at omaze.com/donut.And what's the bestpart you may be asking,every donation supports theUSA Bobsled Team, that's right.Your donation will helpease the financial burdensof training and competitionfor USA Bobsled athletes.If you want to own this BMW M2 CSwith shipping and taxes includeddonate today at omaze.com/donut.Good luck, if you win this thing, tag me,I'll be very envious.And now I'm gonna go savorthe drive back to the office.- Formula One has bigchanges coming for next year,including a brand newcar entirely designedfrom the ground up withone kind of big exception.The engine.Next year's futuristic carwill be using the same enginesas this year.And those are based on a designthat's been around since 2014.F1 engines are even frozen until 2025.Meaning we've got atleast three more seasonswith the current power units.Although with 1,000 horsepower on tap,it's not like current F1engines are boring, oh no,but the FIA thinks there'sroom for improvement.So they've assembled a crackteam of engineers, F1 bosses,and engine constructors,including two potential newcomers,Audi and Porscheto develop a for the futureof Formula One power units.When new engines arrive in 2025,they'll still be turbo hybrids,but it seems many otherdetails are up for debate.One of the most surprising suggestionscame from Formula One'schief technical officer,Pat Symonds who says that he wants F1to use two-stroke engines.Symonds has been involvedwith F1 for 40 years.So it's not like he doesn'tknow how the sport works.And two-stroke engineshave been used in motorsports for decades.First appearing in a GrandPrix way back in 1926.So his suggestion mightnot totally be crazy.To see why we need tofigure out what the changemight do for F1.And that means we got to understandhow two-strokes differfrom their more common for stroke cousins.And if you still think it's crazyafter watching this episode,come tell us in the donutunderground discord,you'll fit right in withall the Saturn freaks.You're not gonna convince me Doj Lord.Anyways, by now you'refamiliar with the four-strokesof an ordinary motor.We've done it a bunch about it.We even wrote a song, SSBB,suck, squeeze bang, blow, that song.Because combustion onlyhappens on the bang,each cylinder is making power just oncefor every two revolutions of the crank.Intake, compression,combustion and exhaustare necessary to make anyinternal combustion engine work.But it's possible tocombine those four stepsinto just two-strokes,a power stroke and a compression stroke.By doing that each cylinderin a two-stroke motormakes power on everyrevolution of the engine.That means at the same RPM,a two-stroke producestwice as many power strokesas a four-stroke.Does that mean that atwo-stroke makes twice the powerof a four-stroke?Well, while that's theoretically possible,in the real world,there are some importantdesign differencesthat affect the waytwo-strokes produce power.One important differenceis that many two-strokesdon't have any valves and that differencehas some importanteffects, both good and bad.You'll sometimes hearpeople compare an engineto an air pump, that'sbecause the piston's movementchanges the volume of the cylinder,creating a pressuredifference that suck in airor push out exhaust.In four-stroke engine that pumping processrequires intake and exhaust valves,opening and closing atjust the right times.Those valves also createthe seal that's necessaryfor compression and combustion,creates a nice little tight chamber.(chuckles)In a piston port engine,the most common typeof two-stroke engine, the pistontakes over for the valves.As the piston moves, itexposes or covers openingsin the engine called portsand these release air fuel and exhaust.But a two-stroke is an airpump in another way too,because the movement of the pistonnot only changes the volumeand pressure in the cylinder.It also does this in the crankcase.Since intake, compression,combustion and exhaustshave to happen in just two-strokes,changes in crankcasepressure are integratedinto how most two-stroke engines work.When the piston is at bottom dead center.The crankcase volume is at its smallestas the piston rises duringthe compression stroke.This increases the volume of the crankcasedecreasing the pressure inside.The piston's movementuncovers an inlet portand low pressure in thecrankcase draws in air and fuel.Meanwhile, in the cylinder,the rising piston compressesair and fuel for combustion.Once the piston reaches top dead centerand the spark plug fires,combustion drives the pistondown for the power stroke,as the piston travels, thisuncovers the exhaust port.So expanding waste gases can escapefrom the high pressure in the cylinderto the lower pressureof the exhaust system.The same movement of the pistonalso compresses air and fuelbelow in the crankcase.Once the piston travels far enoughto uncover the transfer port,that pressurized air fuel mixturerushes towards the lowerpressure of the cylinder,the piston begins itscompression stroke once again,and the cycle repeats.By having air and fuel passthrough the crankcase this way,the intake charge entering the cylinderhas a slightly higherdensity than atmospheric air.And that adds power.A bit like the effect ofa turbo or supercharger.Because the whole combustion cycle happenswith no valves, cams, lifters,push rods or timing system.A two-stroke engine is also super simple.Since they produce poweron every downward movementof the piston, they're more powerfulthan a similarly sized four-stroke engine.And fewer parts means they're lighter.So with that extra power,that means a significantlybetter power to weight ratio.Their simplicity also meansthey're cheaper than four-strokes.And one of the stated goalsfor the new 2025 Formula One power unitsis significant cost reduction.With more power and lighter weight.It kind of sounds like weshould be using two-strokesfor everything, right?So what's the problem here?Huh, should we not all be two stroking?Is that what you're telling me Jerry?Do I need to go get a two-stroke,put it in my frigging Chrysler.Okay, hold on, Frank, I'm getting to it.There are a couple of problemsand these problems show why two-strokescan't quite make twicethe power of a four-strokeand why they might notbe a good fit for F1.While it's true that two-strokesmake more power than four-strokesfor a given displacement.They don't make twice as much powerbecause they're less efficient.One reason is incomplete scavenging.Scavenging is the process ofreplacing the exhaust gasesinside a cylinder with fresh air and fuel.Because the exhaust port and transfer portare both open at the same time.The exhausted intake process overlapand not all the exhaust gases are replacedby fresh air and fuel.Leftover exhaust takesup space in the cylinder,meaning less room for air and fueland less powerful combustionthan in a four-strokethat completely separates itsintake and exhaust phases.Scavenging from the crankcasethrough a transfer portalso means that some ofthe fresh air and fuelis likely to escapethrough the exhaust portbefore it's sealed.Two-stroke engineswill sometimes usespecially shaped pistonsor offset transfer portsto direct intake air awayfrom the exhaust port.Another very common techniqueis tuning the exhaust systemto produce pressure wavesthat come back towards the exhaust port,preventing intake air from escaping.So what I have here is a Yamaha YZ 250,and it is a two-stroke dirt bike.I have it herebecause I want to tryto explain another thingthat's common with two-strokesand that's their exhaust system.So manufacturers will tune exhaust systemto produce pressure waves that come backtowards the exhaust port,preventing intake air from escaping.That's kind of whytwo-stroke motorcycle exhaustlook sort of like a pregnant snake.Oh, it's okay mommy, it's okay.Aw, those babies are gonnajust pop right out real soon.(imitates trumpet blowing)Now this expansion chamber istuned by its specific shapeso that a portion of theprevious cycle exhaustsgets bounced back on the farend of this pipe, right here,making it all the way backto where it came from.Briefly pressurizing the areajust outside the exhaust port.That prevents the fresh airfuel mixture from escapingas the piston beginsthe compression stroke.Another cause of inefficiencyis the two-strokes methodof lubrication.A four-stroke engine has an oil sumpcontaining all the slippery oilto keep the crank connectingrod bearings and pistons,nicely lubricated,reducing friction and engine temperatures,but in a two-stroke wherethe air fuel mixtureis passing through the crankcaseon its way to the cylinders.There's no separatesystem for lubrication.The oil that keeps thebottom end of the enginespinning smoothly has tobe mixed with the fuel.And just like the fuel getssucked into the cylindersand burn during combustion,further reducing efficiency.That's why on startup a two-stroke enginehas a cloud of smokecoming out the exhaust.Once it's inside the crankcase,most of the oil mixedwith the fuel separatesand it clings onto the moving metal parts.And most of the gasolineis moved into the cylinderfor burning, but thatseparation isn't perfect.And part of that oilis burned with the gas,which typically produces alittle bit of bluish smoke.It also smells amazing.Because most two-strokeengines burn oil by design,that increases their emissions too.And that's why two-strokeshave a reputationfor being dirtier than four-strokes.Mm.So even though they're cheaper,the problems of two-strokestroke efficiency and emissionscould make them difficultto adapt to Formula One.That's because two other stated goalsfor the 2025 power unitsare using sustainable fuelsand carbon neutrality,that is possible for internalcombustion engines generally,we did a whole episode on how Porscheis creating carbon neutral fuel.And Formula One has a similar planto create biofuel fromindustrial biowaste,like corn husks or even lumber scraps,and even household garbage.But those processes are expensive.With less efficient enginesor ones producing excess carbonemissions like two stokes dofrom burning oil, the costs and challengesfor making clean, sustainablecombustion increase.The cost reduction from thesimplicity of a two-strokemight not be enough to offset that.So if two-strokes aredirty and inefficient,why would Formula One'schief technical officereven consider them?Well that's because thetwo-stroke reputationis quite frankly a load of bull poopy,what we've described so farand what most people think ofwith two-strokes is a designbased on ancient engine technologyfound in $200 lawn mowers,but nothing like whata multimillion dollar,two-stroke race car would be.All of the problemsassociated with two-strokescan be avoided by updating their designand Symonds knows this.How?Well because Ferrari didit almost 30 years ago.Back in 1994, Ferrari developed an enginecalled the Tipo F-134 thatsolved the two-stroke problemof burning oil by simply using a sumplike every four-stroke engine,that improved emissions,but it meant the airentering the cylinders,wasn't passing through thecrankcase and being compressed.So to make up for that,they added a superchargerto pressurize the intakeair for more power.Since the air and fueldidn't need to be mixedin the crankcase, likein most two-strokes,Ferrari replaced a typical carburetorwith direct fuel injection.They also changed the exhaustport for an exhaust valve.And by delaying the injection of fuel,additional air could bepushed in through the cylinderto make sure all theexhaust was cleared outbefore closing thevalve and injecting fuelfor another combustion stroke.Solving the efficiency problem.Even though the F-134was just a prototype,Ferrari showed that it'spossible for two-strokesto be made clean andefficient with implementationsof modern engine technology,adding an oil sump, valvesand forced inductionreduces simplicity and increases costs,but F1 engines already havethose features and more,and with twice as many power strokes,a two-stroke Formula One enginecould be a potent alternativeto the current four-strokes.But even if it is possibleto make a two-stroke engine,that's cheap, runs on sustainable fueland is carbon neutralwe still won't be seeingthem in Formula One.And that's because theFIA and existing F1 teamshave pretty much ruled them out.FIA says that whatever thecrack team of engine expertsdecide for 2025,it has to be attractive tonew power unit manufacturerslike Porsche and Audiwho have been involvedin the engine discussions.Nobody's currently working onadvanced two-stroke enginesfor race cars, just not happening.And that's because race carengineering is often a test bedfor performance road cars,and there's simply no demandfor two-strokes there.Also the current teams, Isaid, they're not interestedin reinventing the F1 combustion engine,especially because moreof the power in 2025will be coming from thehybrid electric systemand less from combustion.So whatever happens, the teamssay it will be an evolutionof the current four-stroke design.And that frigging bums me out, man,cause I'm a two-stroke boy.And I would love to hearthe sweet rappedy rapof a stream in F1 engine on a track,smell that yummy yummy fuel.Oh gosh, it'd be great, man.What could have been.But maybe the real reason why Symondswants to see two-strokes in F1is because he wants to hear them.Long-time fans of Formula Onefondly remember the soundsof high revenue V8s, V10s and V12sand a high performance two-strokecould have a similar exhaust note.Red bull boss, ChristianHorner even said that for him,F1 is about the noise, the entertainmentand the fastest cars in the world.And a way to show that thecombustion engine has a future.And then you have Mercedesboss, Toto Wolff sayingwe can't go back to Flintstone's engine.Even if a two-stroke can be cleaned up,the clear direction for Formula Oneis towards advancedsustainable power sources.The FIA, Wolff and most teams believethat's the only way forF1 to be at the forefrontof advanced technology and innovation.And that's the key forattracting new younger fansto the sport.- Give her the beans, James.- Give her the beans.- Give it some beans.- That's the beans.I gave it too many beans, couple beans.- Give her the(bleeps) beans, James!- Give me some beans, baby.- Oh my god!- Oh!- We said it a lot.You heard it a lot and nowit's on a freaking shirt,the give it the beanst-shirt is officially here.It's got a cool little, giveit the beans on the front.And it's a coma with all thehigh, low fixes on the back.Get yours right now atdonutmedia.com only 29.98,which is so much less than $30.Get yours before supplies runout and give it the beans.(engine revving)That's enough beans- What do you guys think?Do you think that's a smart move?You guys, are we going tomiss the sweet sounds of F1?I think we are, but justenjoy it while we got them,you know, just enjoy it while we got them.Thank you guys so much forwatching this episode of B2B.If you can hit that likeand subscribe buttonthat really helps usout, thank you so much.You want to see all, someof the crazy stuff we doaround here on things we can'tshow on the main channel,follow us on Instagram.We post a bunch of stuff onthere, that's @donutmedia.Follow me on Instagram @jeremiahburton,follow me on TikTok.My TikTok, I had to changemy name cause they banned me.It's, what is it?Silence of the Lambda.You guys get it.Follow me on TikTok.Let's have some TikTokky fun.Until next week, bye for now.