FEBRUARY 12, 2007

Gene suggests diesels for F1

Marc Gene has been having a taste of competitive diesel engines in recent weeks as he tests for the Peugeot Le Mans 24 Hours programme and the Ferrari test driver says that he cannot see any reason why the engines could not be used in Formula 1 in the future.

"I did not know what the expect really," he said, "but now I can say that this is a neat carw which compares in some ways to F1. Having driven the Peugeot, I think that diesel is a feasible route for F1 in the future."

The Peugeot engine is a 5.5-litre all-aluminium twin-turbo 100-degree V12 which produces around 700hp. It has been designed by Claude Guillois.