F1 V8’s to twist above 20K RPM
It is expected that some of the current V10s may get up to 1000 horsepower by the end of the current season. A basic calculation means that cutting off two cylinders of a 3-litre V10 will produce the foundation for a 2.4-litre V8. This means that it is fairly easy to calculate the horsepower per cylinder and say that the new V8s ought to be beginning development at around 800 horsepower.
However, the engine designers are very confident that the reduction in the length of the crankshaft will reduce torsional twisting problems which have to date limited the revs and so the V8s will rev higher and thus produce more power, which means that the 2006 season could see the new engines starting off producing in the region of 830 or more at over 20,000rpm. Grandprix.com [Editor's Note: It looks like all the new F1 V8's next year will turn over 20,000 RPM due to the shorter crank, hence HP won't drop as much as planned – the fallacy of switching to a V8 instead of just downsizing and staying with a V10.]