PARIS: Formula One teams agreed Wednesday to delay the introduction of new environmentally friendly engines by a year until 2014 a measure that has been greeted with alarm by the sport's supremo Bernie Ecclestone and the organizers of many of the Grands Prix. However, in a move to quell Ecclestone's and the race organizers fears that such a measure will see a drop in attendance figures the maximum rev limit of the engines will be increased to 15,000 from 12,000. The decision to switch from four-cylinder 1.6-liter engines introduced in 2013 to V6s of the same size a year later was made by F1 bosses last week and following a fax vote the switch was ratified by the World Motor Sport Council Wednesday. “The new power plant will be a V6 1.6 turbo unit with energy recovery systems,” read the World Motor Sport Council statement. “This new formula will come into effect as from the start of the 2014 FIA Formula One World Championship season.” Ecclestone was against the switch to the new engines from the current 2.4-litre normally aspirated V8s, as he said there would be a lot less noise and as a result be less exciting to watch. The organizers worries were that the change could result in a drop in attendance figures, which is their only source of income. Williams make more technical appointments Williams announced two more key technical appointments Tuesday with Jason Somerville returning to the team as head of aerodynamics and ex-McLaren man Mark Gillan arriving as chief operations engineer. Former champions Williams, without a Formula One win since 2004 and struggling in the standings this season with just four points from eight races, have embarked on a major technical overhaul. Mike Coughlan, who left McLaren after being embroiled in a 2007 spying controversy, has already started work as chief engineer while current technical director Sam Michael is leaving at the end of the season. Williams said Somerville would start on Aug. 15 with Gillan on board from Oct. 1. Somerville first joined Williams in 1997 working on the Le Mans sportscar program before moving over to Formula One operations in 1999 as joint-head of the aerodynamics department. He subsequently moved to Toyota in 2003 and then, when the Japanese team quit the sport at the end of 2009, to Renault F1. Gillan also worked for Toyota, after stints at McLaren and Jaguar, and most recently was professor of vehicle engineering at the University of Surrey while also acting as an F1 consultant. “We now feel that, together with Mike Coughlan, Jason and Mark can form the right technical leadership to take the team forward as we work our way back to the front of the grid,” said team principal and founder Frank Williams.
