There’s something mesmerising about Formula 1 engines, something beyond the timeless beauty of aluminium, titanium and carbon fibre. As if like a time-capsule of engineering, whilst staring at these engines you are peering into the best automotive mechanical work that the human race was capable of at that time.
For many, Ferrari engines in particular hold a degree of indescribable attraction – particularly those driven by Michael Schumacher, who won the World Championship on behalf of the Italian marque five consecutive times. Many sources conflict regarding the details of various Formula 1 engines such as how much power they ultimately produced, however one thing is certain – Ferrari picked it’s engine game up in the year 2000, and spent the next half of a decade perfecting a modern V10 marvel. Today, we take a look at four of the five Ferrari engines which Schumacher drove to victory.
2000 – The Ferrari Tipo 049 engine was fitted to the F1-2000 chassis, featured 10 cylinders in a 90 degree V configuration and originally generated 770hp from it’s 2997cc capacity whilst revving to 18,000rpm. The largest difference between the 049 and it’s predecessor was the wide angle of it’s layout, which had previously been 80 degrees. This gave the the car a lower centre of gravity and greater aerodynamics, helping it to become more competitive.
2001 – The year following saw Ferrari move to the imaginatively titled F-2001 chassis, which was teamed with the Tipo 050 engine. Pushing final power output to between 800 and 835hp, the 050 engine featured a more aggressive collector angle, and was said to have given Schumacher an additional 500rpm for 18,500 in total.
2003 – By 2003 Ferrari had moved to the 052 engine and F-2003GA chasis, which retained the ongoing 90-degree V10 arrangement however was now several kilograms lighter than the 049 used in 2000. The 052 was said to generate as much as 930hp utilising a full 19,000rpm, with some sourcing indicating as high as 19,500rpm. Schumacher squeezed every last bit of juice from the 052 to snatch the championship victory from Kimi by just 2 points.
2004 – Schumacher’s most recent Formula 1 World Championship victory came the next year, behind the wheel of the 053-powered F-2004. The engine was said to have brought power back down to between 855 and 880hp, perhaps as a result of the FIAs call that the engines had to be designed to last for the length of an entire racing weekend. Ferrari found a strong balance of power and reliability that assisted Schumacher in soaring to victory by a full 34 points ahead of second placed Barrichello.
Images: http://www.egarage.com/
Gallery: Schumacher’s World Championship winning F1 engines is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.