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When people think about F1 engines, they usually picture screaming V12, high-revving V10s or today’s futuristic hybrid units.
The sport has always been a proving ground for the most advanced engineering on the wheels.
But for every engine that redefined performance, there were others that missed the mark so badly they became cautionary tales.
Some failed because they were too heavy, others because they lacked power, and a few because they were simply overambitious.
Here are some of the most infamous examples where great ideas turned into expensive disasters.
Subaru’s Flat-12 Disaster (1990)
A brand known worldwide but their story in Formula 1 is different, by the late ’80s, Subaru had built a reputation for its distinctive boxer engines in road cars and rally.
With that confidence, the Japanese manufacturer decided to bring its flat-engine DNA to F1. Partnering with the struggling Coloni team, Subaru even bought a majority share in the outfit.
The engine itself was a 3.5-liter flat-12, developed by Motori Moderni in Italy, on paper, the idea sounded unique, in reality, things did not go well.
The motor weighted far more than its rival and produced just 560 HP at a time when Honda and Ferrari units were comfortably pushing past 700.
The results on track were nowhere near to the competitors, Bertrand Gachot failed to make it out of pre-qualifying in all eight attempts, in some sessions, the car was seconds behind adrift of the slowers competitor.
By mid-season, Subaru had seen enough, and their partnership was terminated, the Coloni had a new deal with Ford Cosworth V8, that engine still was not good enough to get them on the grid regularly, but it highlighted just how far off the mark Subaru’s flat-12 had been.
Porsche’s Painful Return – F1 failed engines (1991)
The German brand had already tasted F1 success in the ’80s, they supplied McLaren with turbo engines that delivered world championships.
Then by 1991, they returned in F1, with their own naturally aspirated V12, expectations were high.
However, the 3512 engine did not perform as they expected, probably worst in Porsche’s motorsport history, the power unit was enormous, overweight and designed with a central power take off system that caused endless oil pressure and reliability nightmares.
In Footwork chassis, it turned a bad car into an unmanageable one, the results were not as expected, the drivers struggled to qualify, and when they did, the engines often failed early in the race.
By the sixth round of the season in 1991, Footwork contract with Porsche came to an end, they signed a deal with Ford-Cosworth. It was the last season for Porsche in F1, they never came back.
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Yamaha’s Short-Lived Experiment (1989)
Yamaha’s name is usually linked with motorcycle engine, but tried to leave a mark also in F1.
In 1989 they entered F1 with their OX88 V8 engine, fitted to the underfunded Zakspeed team, featured ambitious five-valve-per-cylinder tech.
The theory never matched reality, the engine was underpowered, in 16 attempts to make it through pre-qualifying, the team succeeded only once.
For driver Bernd Schneider, it was an endless cycle of frustration, the partnership dissolved after a single painful season, though Yamaha did return later with more competitive projects.
Life’s W12 Oddity (1990)
Another engine which failed in F1, is the Life W12. Built by the tiny Life Racing engines team, the design was as unconventional as it was ineffective.
The W12 layout was supposed to be compact and powerful, but instead it was not, unreliable.
Drivers, Gary Brabham and Bruno Giacomelli, never once made it out pre quali, often, the Life was not just last but seconds behind the next slowest car, in some cases, the car was not far off the pace that it looked like a different category of racing altogether.
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BRM’s Overcomplicated H16 (1966)
Long time ago in 1966, when British Racing Motors came up with one of the most ambitious F1 powerplants ever, they attempted the H16, esentially two flat-eight engines stacked together, the P75 was an engineering marvel on paper but in reality, not, it was heavy and did not perform well.
Jim Clark did manage to snatch a victory at the 1966 US GP, using a Lotus fitted with the H16, but that was the exception, for most of its career, the engine let down its teams with constant failures.
McLaren-Honda’s Hybrid Struggles (2015–2017)
When Honda decided to come back in F1, expectations were high, partnering with McLaren in 2015, with two champions driving for the team.
However, in hybrid era, McLaren and Honda’s much hyped reunion was supposed to revive the glory days of Senna and Prost, but it became a story to forget, the engine was underpowered.
Drivers often found themselves crawling down the straight, out-dragged by midfield rivals with customer, Mercedes or Ferrari engines.
Retirements were frequent, frustration constant and the once-dream partnership ended after three years, McLaren switched to Renault in 2018.
Why These Engines Failed
All of them suffered from fundamental design flaws, those F1 failed engines, whether it was the Subaru’s bulk, Porsche’s oil system, or Honda’s rushed hybrid, most were paired with struggling teams that lacked the resources to hide the shortcomings.
And in every case the gap to the competition was so glaring that patience quickly ran out, F1 is unforgiving, while a brilliant engine can launch a team into the history books, a bad one can bury reputations and end partnerships overnight.
The stories of these failed power units remind us that in F1, even the big names can get it very wrong.
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