Melbourne has been confirmed as the opening round of the Formula 1 season next year on the 13-16 March.
The F1 season next year will see new driver line-ups, including young Australian driver Daniel Ricciardo’s debut with the Red Bull Racing team, and the return of Kimi Räikkönen to Scuderia Ferrari.
“The eyes of the world will certainly be on Melbourne next year, with so much change on the horizon in Formula 1,” said Australian Grand Prix Corporation Chief Executive Officer, Andrew Westacott.
The 2014 season, arguably the biggest in F1 history, features new events in the USA (New Jersey) and Russia (Sochi), along with a return to Mexico (Mexico City) and Austria (Spielberg).
It’s undoubtedly a brand new era for the sport next year, with a raft of dramatic technical changes to be made to the cars.
The most dramatic change is that the current 2.4-litre V8 engine replaced with a new high-tech 1.6-litre turbocharged V6 engine, revving up to a maximum of 15,000rpm and featuring multiple Energy Recovery Systems (ERS). For the engine manufacturers it’s a gigantic challenge, with energy recovery and fuel efficiency to be the major focus in 2014.
The V6 engines will produce around 600bhp, with ERS generated from both kinetic and turbocharger waste heat energy counting for a boost of 160bhp for approximately 33 seconds in any given lap.
