First reported by Pitpass in April, the FIA has officially confirmed that from 2013, Formula One cars will use turbocharged engines as the sport seeks to improve its green credentials.

The World Motor Sport Council today rubber stamped the introduction of the 1.6 litre V4 units which will see a 35 percent reduction in fuel consumption, though performance levels will be maintained by means of energy management and recovery systems.

In a move that will surely further alienate the purists - many of whom argue that it is an oxymoron for a sport such as Formula One to be environmentally aware - drivers will be restricted to just 5 of the units in 2013 and 4 the following year. However, earlier claims that the engines would be restricted to 10,000 rpm proved wide of the mark, the FIA setting the limit at 12,000.

Despite the rants of the global warming alarmists, for those who grew up in an era when cars not only looked different to one another but sounded different to one another, this is yet another dreadful blow, another step towards a one-make formula.

While it is thought that the move may attract those car manufacturers with a green agenda - ironic considering the manufacturers who have left the sport in the last couple of years - many purists will see this as yet another nail in the coffin of what was widely considered the pinnacle of motorsport.