The best F1 engine eras ranked

3. 2006-2013. 2.4-liter N/A V8

F1’s V8 era will always exist in the shadow of the V10s it had to follow. It will always be something of an unwanted sibling, but in the wider context of the history of the sport, it was still right up there with some of the best.

By 2005, F1 engines were beginning to reach levels of development that were simply unsustainable for a number of manufacturers in the sport. They were largely irrelevant to the wider automotive community (road-relevancy is something F1 is keen to champion about its current power units), and as a result the likes of Honda and Toyota, two huge global brands were considering their future. The answer in the short term was for a reduced capacity V8 engine.

Initial change was moderate – aside from losing a fifth of their cylinders – these engines still revved up to 20,000rpm and still made one hell of a noise. But over the next seven years further limitations would be implemented to try and bring performance, and costs, under control. Revs were limited, first to 19,000rpm in 2007 and then to 18,000rpm in 2009. By far the biggest change, though, was the introduction of KERS, which was the first step on the path to a more sustainable and eventually hybrid future. It didn’t go down too well, though, thanks to a huge weight penalty.

As far as the engine eras go, this was a pretty good one, at least to start with. The 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009 seasons were all hugely competitive, with the championship going down to the final race on each occasion. It was a different story from then on, as Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull dominated.