Engine lifespan vs. Development costs

[SiLo]

I think having more engines would be good, but getting rid of the silly penalties that affect drivers during races would be better at least.

Problem here is they not only spent money on R&D for brand new engines, but that they had to spend on hybrid research, battery technology etc.

If we had just said, you can have a V6 turbo and thats it, R&D costs would likely have been less to achieve similar longevity of engine life. It's just a factor of how complex the new engines and hybrid systems are.