2014 F1 Preview: New engines, new rules and new sounds

Formula 1 will look and sound different when the season starts in Melbourne on March 16, with new regulations and the introduction of a turbocharged V6 engine with energy recovery systems.

The following looks at the main changes for 2014, with the sport going through its most significant technical overhaul in at least two decades.

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Power Unit

Put simply, what used to be called an engine has become something a whole lot more complicated.

The old 2.4 litre V8 engines, with kinetic energy recovery systems (KERS), that revved at up to 18,000 rpm have been consigned to history and replaced by  ‘power units’ –  1.6 litre turbocharged engines limited to 15,000 rpm with two energy recovery systems (ERS).

The sport last saw turbo engines in 1988.