Taffin: F1 will still use fuel in 20 years

Renault's engine boss doubts Formula 1 will leave behind its fuel-powered era within the next 20 years.

In an ever more 'green'-minded world, and the ever rising success of Formula E, it is speculated that F1 could eventually ramp up its hybrid credentials to do away with fuel altogether.

But Renault's Remi Taffin doesn't think so. "We of course want to make F1 as green as possible," the Frenchman told Le Figaro. "But our main subject in Formula 1 is performance, and for now, an electric car remains less efficient than what can be done with a combustion engine."

Taffin thinks a big part of the problem with battery power is the weight. "To be successful, a car must be light," he said. "Today, the hybrid is a heavy solution and that is a barrier. The big job is to make this part lighter. "For passenger cars, there are targets for reducing consumption and polluting emissions, so there is an interest in pushing electric.

"But for F1 it's different. In F1, it's about laptime performance," added Taffin. "Will F1 still use gasoline in 20 years? I think so, yes. The transition to electric will take time. "Engineers will find the right solution, the only question is when," he said.

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