Renault unveils first images of 2014 Formula 1 V6 turbo

Renault has unveiled the first images of the new V6 turbo engine that it believes will help attract fans back to Formula 1.

The new 1.6-litre turbocharged unit has already run extensively on the dyno at Renault's Viry-Chatillon facilities, but will not have its track debut until the start of next year.

Renault Sport's F1 chief Jean-Michel Jalinier believes that the move to more economical, technologically advanced engines will prove to be a big boost for both car makers and the sport itself.

"It will be a better tool to communicate than the current V8 engine," he explained.

"We can get some fans back to F1."

Comment: 2014 engines sound great

Renault's engine technical director Rob White also believes that the new power-units will provide a good spectacle as well as being more relevant than the current V8 engines.

"F1 is still going to be very loud, it is still going to be a very violent event," he said.

"You can see on the test bed that even with relatively slow shifts on a relatively low transient dyno, that gear shifts are rapid and violent.

"And the big glowing red thing at the back of the engine in front of the gearbox [the Energy Recovery System] is also going to be a thing of some spectacle."