The best F1 engine eras ranked

9. 1987-1988 1.5-litre turbo engines and 3.5-litre N/A

The 1987 and ’88 seasons were two of the strangest in F1 history for many reasons. The turbo engines that had reigned supreme for much of the previous decade were set to be banned, but before that could happen there was a period where they would still be allowed to compete, albeit in a more limited form.

As a result, these two seasons were marred by a huge disparity throughout the grid, as Williams, and then McLaren dominated while those around them struggled with inferior machinery. This inequality was perhaps best summed up by the former, which lost its turbocharged Honda engines after winning the championship at the end of 1987, and dropped to a lowly seventh in the table, having to make do with hideously underpowered Judd V8 naturally aspirated units.

Two new awards: the Jim Clark Trophy and Colin Chapman Trophy, had to be created and awarded to the best performing driver and constructor using 3.5-litre, naturally aspirated engines – effectively creating a two-tier championship in 1987.

8. 1950-1953 4.5-litre N/A and 1.5-litre supercharged (Formula 2 regs in 52/53)

The sport we know as Formula 1 was born in 1950, and the original engine formula made use of machinery that was already in use by manufacturers at that time. That was made up primarily of larger naturally aspirated engines, mixed in with some smaller supercharged units.

Alfa Romeo, the sport’s original dominant force, Maserati, ERA and Ferrari all made use of the smaller 1.5-litre option, and proved quite quickly that this was the way to go as their lighter, more powerful and more drivable cars wiped the floor with the 4.5-litre Talbots.

These early days of F1 were a period of experimentation for all of the manufacturers, and in order to try and tackle the initial disparity of the two engine types and a flagging entry list, the sport took on the more simplistic Formula 2 regulations for the 1952 and ’53 seasons. That did little to encourage competition, though, as Ferrari absolutely dominated with its superior 2.0-litre motor.

7. 2014-2026 1.6-litre V6 hybrid

F1 underwent its most substantial engine regulation overhaul in 2014 when the mandatory hybrid system was introduced for the first time. Beyond anything else that may have changed, F1 instantly lost its scream.

But, like all things, eventually we got used to the sound, sure they were quieter with much lower revs, but over time adjustments have been made to help increase the volume, and actually you barely notice it now. That is until we experience things like the V10 Era demonstration at the 79^th Members’ Meeting presented by Audrain Motorsport to remind us what we’re missing.

The noise isn’t everything, though. And unfortunately, things don’t get much better for the V6 hybrids when we think about the competition either. Following the introduction of these new power units, F1 went through its longest period of domination in history. The Mercedes power unit (yes, they’re called power units now, not engines) was vastly superior to the rest of the field, and it took until 2019 until another manufacturer appeared to have caught up – only for Ferrari’s efforts to lead to a rather hush hush agreement with the FIA over their legality.

These 1.6-litre V6 hybrids are also properly complicated, which meant early reliability was broadly terrible. They’re hugely expensive to produce and develop, too, which has been a detriment to customer teams who have had to fork out ludicrous sums for the privilege of racing with a likely downrated version of the manufacturer’s unit.

In short, there hasn’t been much to rave about these latest engines, except for the fact that they are one of the most impressive feats of engineering in motorsport.

6. 1954-1960 2.5-litre N/A and 750cc supercharged

A new set of Formula 1 regulations were set and ready to go in 1954, stipulating 2.5-litre naturally aspirated engines, and it would be the first time that all teams were entering on what could be considered to be a level playing field. They all had the same opportunity to prepare an engine according to the new rules.

This first new dawn for the sport piqued the interest of Mercedes, which had yet to feature in Formula 1, but arrived mid-way through the season and enticed Juan Manuel Fangio to race its W196 streamliner – and instantly win.

This period of F1 racing through the mid-late 1950s through until 1960 produced some truly legendary cars, the likes of which we still see racing today the Goodwood Revival; from the Maserati 250F to Lancia D50 and Ferrari 246 Dino. That final year in 1960 also saw Cooper’s introduction of the revolutionary mid-engined setup.

5. 1989-1994 3.5-litre N/A

After those two years of engine regs turmoil in 1987 and ‘88, F1 finally brought its truncated farewell of the turbo era to an end with the introduction of a new 3.5-litre naturally aspirated formula. But while the engine capacity was legislated, engine manufacturers were free to choose the number of cylinders.

Following a decade dominated by hugely powerful V6 engines, suddenly the grid of 26 cars was turned into a symphony of V8s, V10s and, yes, V12s. What was also quite amazing was the variety of manufacturers that had decided to get involved. Honda, Renault, Ferrari, Ford-Cosworth, Judd, Lamborghini and Yamaha had all built engines for the 1989 season. Fast forward to 1990 and there was even a Life W12 – although it would never actually qualify for a grand prix.

Honda, Ferrari and Lamborghini all initially favoured the V12 and, while the McLaren-Honda partnership found success with a V12 in 1991, it was Renault with its V10 that would grow to become the dominant force in 1992 and ’93. By 1994, only Ferrari was persevering with its sonorous V12.

These were years when that iconic sound of F1 was born. The era of the super-high revving screamers of the 1990s and early 2000s started here.

4. 1961-1965 1.5-litre N/A

This is the era we always enjoy reliving whenever the Glover Trophy gets underway at the Goodwood Revival. This regulation change came in conjunction with the move to mid-engined F1 cars, pioneered by Cooper in 1960. The small, lightweight and agile nature of the car with its tiny engine balanced perfectly in the middle of the chassis was simply too good for the rest of the field to ignore.

As a result, the following four years birthed some of the most beautiful Formula 1 cars ever made. The likes of Lotus, Ferrari, Cooper Brabham and BRM all battled for supremacy in a hugely competitive era, graced by a list of drivers that included Jim Clark, Graham Hill, Bruce McLaren, Jackie Stewart and John Surtees.

Sure, the championship wasn’t always particularly hard fought, Jim Clark ran away with the drivers’ title in 1963 and ’65, but the 1964 season saw Lotus, Brabham, BRM and Ferrari all win races. You only have to look at the cars of the time – the likes of the Ferrari 156 Sharknose and the Lotus 25 – to see what a special era of F1 this was.

3. 2006-2013. 2.4-litre 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 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.

2. 1966-1986 3.0-litre N/A and 1.5-litre turbocharged

It seems crazy that there was a period when F1 engine regulations did not change for 20 years, but that was indeed the case between 1966 and ’86. That’s not to say things stagnated though, far from it.

The likes of Ferrari and others had been complaining, pretty much since day one, that the 1.5-litre engines of the early 1960s were too small. And so it was that in ’66 a new engine formula was introduced stipulating a larger 3.0-litre configuration along with the option of a smaller 1.5-litre turbocharged setup. It would take more than a decade for the first turbo car to appear, though, when Renault brought its Gordini V6 to Silverstone for the 1977 British Grand Prix.

Before that, F1 would be dominated by one of the most iconic engines of all time – the Cosworth DFV. Since its first season in 1967, the hugely recognisable sound of the DFV would accompany 12 drivers’ championship wins and ten constructors’ titles until 1982.

By 1983, however, it was clear that turbocharging had surpassed normal aspiration, and Renault led a turbo revolution along with BMW and Ferrari before the rest of the field was forced to follow suit. What followed were five glorious years of turbo charged brutality as manufacturers each chased more and more power, reaching as high as 1,400 or even 1,500PS (1,100kW) in qualifying trim.

The amount of power dictated the use of huge rear wheels and ever-increasing downforce levels, as this immense era of racing evolved through the ground effect years and into the late ‘80s of enormous rear wings and memories of iconic cars from Lotus, Williams, McLaren and Brabham.

1. 1995-2005 3.0-litre N/A

The turbo cars of the 1980s were spectacular, but there is simply no comparison to the scream that emanated from F1 cars of the late 1990s and early 2000s. Following the experimental era of the early ‘90s, engine manufacturers had fine tuned their craft and come to the conclusion that the V10 was the way to go for the ultimate balance of performance, reliability and drivability.

That said, Ferrari refused to drop its V12 for another year after F1 dictated that engines would be limited to 3.0 litres, only finally swapping for a V10 in 1996. By the time ten cylinders were mandated in 2000, Mercedes, Ferrari, BMW, Cosworth, Honda and Toyota were all building engines for F1, in what was one of the best manufacturer-represented eras the sport has ever seen.

But, again, we just have to talk about the sound. The pitch, the volume, that relentless howl that echoes for miles around is simply the best thing to ever come out of a racing car. Regardless of the on-track action, which at times was actually pretty good, you just need one car to be set loose on a circuit to understand why this era of racing was so special. There is no real argument, in terms of engines, this was the absolute peak of F1.

Images courtesy of Motorsport Images.