NEWS // VW TO SUPPLY F1 WITH 4CYL 'WORLD ENGINE' ?

For more than a year, there have been rumors that Volkswagen had intentions of joining Mercedes, Renault and Ferrari in Formula One, either as a factory team or by partnering with a current team. And while nothing has come of said rumor, news is now coming out that Hans-Joachim Stuck, a former F1 pilot and director of Volkswagen's racing program, would like to see VW produce a four cylinder 'world engine' for Formula One.

In hopes of switching to a small-displacement, turbocharged powerplant, the FIA has been considering a spec engine that could be used not only in Formula One competition, but touring cars, rally cars and other classes of open wheel racing. And while we're not sure if the proposed 'world engine' would be made exclusively by VW or whether the current engine suppliers (Ferrari, Renault, Mercedes and Cosworth) would be allowed to build their own turbo-fours according to VW specs, one way or another, it appears the days of V8 powered F1 cars are drawing to a close // [comment]