Exclusive: Q & A with Cosworth's Head of Development

Q. What impact did Ford's announcement of Cosworth's sale have on the initial design of this year's engine?

Alex Hitzinger - Cosworth's Head of F1 Development:

It didn't really have any impact on the design. We always planned to keep the main engine architecture the same and increase the engine life and performance by concentrating on the detailed design of the individual components. This was the best use of the available resources.

Q. Did Ford's announcement mean any kind of delay in the development of this year's engine?

AH:

There were some minor delays, but nothing major. However, it created a lot of uncertainty around Cosworth's future at the time. I was very impressed by the level of motivation and commitment within the company in these difficult circumstances.

Q. What was the impact of this year's regulation changes on the engine's development?

AH:

With the increased engine life, even higher emphasis has been put on component quality and process robustness. Very small quality issues can have disastrous effects. Therefore, it is now more difficult to go close to the engine's life limit, while making sure not to exceed it. This presents a great challenge not only to engineering, but also to manufacturing and engine build.

Q. What about engine performance? Most engine makers have claimed they will start with at least the same power as last year. Is that the case with Cosworth too?

AH:

Yes, this year's engine is more powerful than the 2004 engine, and there is more to come in the middle of the season, when the next performance step is reliable.

Q. Has Cosworth started work on the V8 engine in preparation for the 2006? If so, what's the current state of the development.

AH:

Yes, we are in the middle of the design stage of the 'CA', which is our V8 for 2006. We have done a considerable amount of research on V8 related mechanical issues and have evaluated a number of design concepts, using research engines, in preparation for the CA design. Therefore we are in a good position.