PURE or the story of a commercial failure in F1

In 2010, Craig Pollock, former agent of Canadian driver Jacques Villeneuve and co-founder of the BAR (British American Racing) team, decided to create PURE. We are at a time when Formula 1 is talking about a downsizing engines. At that time, the FIA ​​decided that it would be a 1.6-liter turbocharged inline 4-cylinder engine, equipped with an energy recovery system (ERS).

A power unit that is apparently easy to create and inexpensive in terms of research and development: that was all it took to get Craig Pollock back in the paddock! Our man thus created PURE (Universal Propulsion and Energy Recovery). To do this, he launched a structure in Switzerland, near Geneva, but also subsidiaries in France.

The first offices are located in the Geneva countryside and in the Jura, with the aim of attracting French engineers from Renault Sport F1. Thanks to a headquarters based in Switzerland, the structure can also benefit from the largesse of taxation on Swiss companies. At the same time, an agreement was organized with Mecachrome (partner of Renault F1). A partnership is signed for the production and assembly of future blocks. Everything is off to a good start, thanks to bank loans (mainly Credit Suisse, already experienced in F1 thanks to the Sauber team).

High ambitions

The funds arrived and a massive recruitment operation was launched, leaving Gilles Simon (previously chief engine engineer of Scuderia Ferrari) the possibility of leading the project during 2011.

Christian Contzen, architect of the Renault V10 in 1992 and the originator of the Losange factory team in 2001, also joined the team as a consultant. For his part, Craig Pollock is content to manage the communication and future marketing of this power unit. PURE, in its gestation, really intends to impose its power units in the world of F1.

“PURE aims to be the leader in the development of the next generation of powertrains, which will have to meet the demands of a greener environment”announces Craig Pollock with fanfare, following the FIA ​​trend. “The 2013 regulations provide PURE with an immediate platform to test and validate technological advances, and make them available to other industries.”

This announcement sets the tone regarding PURE's desire to supply customer teams. At the time, engine manufacturers were not certain of being able to offer enough engines for all the single-seaters, but nevertheless had to produce volume in order to make research and development costs profitable. “We would like to be able to equip six stables“, dares Craig Pollock, decidedly ambitious.

In 2011, Renault changed the situation and redistributed the cards, threatening the FIA ​​to leave F1 if the V8 had to live for a few more years or if the 4-cylinder saw the light of day. A study group was created and, under the influence of Renault (quickly joined by Mercedes), a turbo V6 was finally chosen for 2014, and no longer a 4-cylinder turbo for 2013…

The logic is simple: engine manufacturers, who are suffering from the crisis, want to create a power unit that can be sold outside the premier category (like in Endurance). They therefore wish to design a hybrid engine that can equip most motorsport championships in different variants, in order to more quickly amortize the research and development costs of a hybrid power unit.

A first setback was suffered by Craig Pollock for the PURE program, which immediately saw design and development costs significantly increased. Its infrastructures (offices and workshops), without massive investment, have already become obsolete.

The choice of the V6 also left an engine manufacturer on the sidelines: Cosworth quickly communicated about its financial difficulties and the impossibility of being able to embark on the development of such an engine. The decision has the effect of seeing HRT, one of Cosworth's client teams, unable to cover the bills. Caterham and Willliams were quickly approached by Renault Sport F1.

Unwilling to let himself be defeated by the lobby of engine manufacturers and manufacturers, and convinced that Formula 1 needs an engine manufacturer independent of manufacturers, Craig Pollock communicates en masse and joins forces with TMG (Toyota Motorsport Gmbh), in Cologne, to operate Toyota's former F1 factory. This then offers all the engineering tools necessary to develop this future power unit. PURE is therefore installed in these premises.

The commercial clearance sale

All the conditions now seem to be in place to launch this vast development project, with the exception of… financial investors (using the Toyota tool is very expensive) and… future customer teams!

Craig Pollock puts on his shock salesman costume and crisscrosses the paddock to find an agreement with at least two teams, and to convince people of the fact that PURE is the first engine manufacturer to release a design of what will be the future V6 turbo hybrid engine. PURE is already adopting the strategy of financially selling off its power unit. At the start of 2013, the engine manufacturers involved in this race (Ferrari, Renault and Mercedes) announced a rental price for power units of around $25 million annually, while the new engine manufacturer claimed that it could bring the bill down to around 14 million dollars!

Even if the offer is attractive, the design of the engine is perceived by the engineers as being anything but a revolution: a simple modernized remake of what is the Turbo Compound system, which already existed a few years previously. This process was originally initiated by Volvo Penta, for nautical engines. Added to this is a mysterious American investor, whose financial contribution the Swiss state would have refused.

In mid-2012, Craig Pollock announced the freeze on development and production of the V6 turbo hybrid engine. The Swiss banks having frozen PURE's assets, no team is convinced by the project and its stability in the medium term. Some time later, PURE's Swiss assets were acquired by Tesla Motors, not with the aim of making it a sporting tool, but quite simply to install its import of electric vehicles there.