JUNE 2, 2005

BMW wins Engine of the Year award

BMW has won this year's International Engine of the Year awards with its 5.0-litre V10 unit from the new BMW M5. The 507bhp engine, which will also be seen in the forthcoming M6 Coupe, was picked by a panel of judges from around the world, who praised the engine's flexibility and high power output. The company finished second as well with the 3.0-litre twin-turbo diesel engine that powers the BMW 535d.

BMW's formidable reputation as an engine-builder is not currently making much of an impression in F1 where the company has not won a race this year. in Munich some think this is the fault of Williams but in England the word is that the team would be doing a lot better if some of BMW was doing a better job. There are suggestions that the engines are not as powerful as the other frontrunners and that the traction-control systems devised in Munich are not good enough, a thought backed up by the fact that the Williamses seem to struggle to get off the line at the start of races.

The BMW board has now been presented with plans for the company to do its own thing in F1 and a decision will be made later this month when the board meets again. If BMW does decide to buy Sauber it is likely that Williams will split with the Munich firm immediately. If BMW decides not to do its own thing, we would expect there to be changes in the management at BMW Motorsport as current relationships between the team and its engine partner are strained.