Theissen Drops V10 Hint

With some carmakers unhappy about the extra costs of developing and building V8 engines for next year, having had to make engines last for two race-weekends this year, there have been suggestions that some of them may opt to stick with their current V10 units.

This is because the 2006 technical regulations do not stipulate that all engines have to be V8s - and teams will be allowed to run rev-limited V10s if they want to.

And with BMW having yet to have run its V8 engine on the track, and the team likely to have difficulty doing so in the near future if Williams chooses not to continue with their partnership, then there is a possibility it could stick with V10s for 2006.

Speaking at the announcement of BMW's buy-out of Sauber, motorsport director Mario Theissen, one of the main opposers to the introduction of V8 engines, dropped a major hint that the company was not definitely set on which engine configuration it would use next year.

"For teams and manufacturers who do not develop a V8 engine they can use the V10 engine," he said. "The FIA has to see whether it observes the respective rules. They will be tested this year and then we will see whether it will be possible to use it in our cars next year."