Formula One engine manufacturers should already be planning for the new engine formula which will be introduced in 2021 according to two of the sport's leading technical officials.
F1 introduced the controversial, complex 1.6 litre V6 turbo hybrid power units at the beginning of 2014. A far cry from the comparatively simple V10s and V8s that preceded them, many, including Mercedes' Paddy Lowe think that the radical shift three seasons ago leaves big questions being asked about the next set of engine regulation changes in five years time.
"It does raise some very big considerations," Lowe said. "How do we define an engine or power unit that is correct for the sport but also relevant to the kind of power units that we will see in the future in road cars?!
"Do we make remain in some way related attached to that technology which is increasingly electrical or do we go our own way? So there are some very, very important questions there," he added.
Another big point of discussion has been the sound of the new engines, which has been considerably quieter than previous engines, although it has got gradually louder since the formula was introduced.
"It doesn't match the sound of the old V8s or the V10s but it still raises an interesting debate," said Lowe. "I think road cars in the future will at some point be completely silent if they are all electrical so will we (F1) want noise? Will we associate noise with performance or not?"
"There are some very interesting debates there and I think we need to start that process," he added.
Ferrari performance engineer Jock Clear agrees that F1 "underestimated" the challenge that the V6 power units would pose.
"As such, the sooner we start, the sooner we'll be aware and the sooner we can come to a solution that will be the best for the sport," he said.
"We need to think about it in the context of what the sport needs, what the public wants, what looks sexy. But fundamentally, it's still a technological challenge and we need to get the technology right," Clear added.
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