Although the 2026 Formula 1 season is still a long way off, the big F1 engine manufacturers are aware that the extent of technological change in the power unit area will need to be addressed well in advance. The technical regulation approved by the International Federation, after a long debate, represents a great challenge for the engine manufacturers.
The turbo-hybrid revolution of 2014, which marked the beginning of the Mercedes domination, is a precedent that the manufacturers do not intend to replicate. By virtue of the development freeze of the current power units until 2025, the divisions dedicated to the research and development of the Power Units will be able to concentrate fully on the study and design of the engines that will be used starting with the 2026 Formula 1 championship.
In the intentions of the FIA and Liberty Media, the 2022 technical regulation was to favor a leveling of the forces between teams, giving fans a more unpredictable Formula 1. The goal has clearly failed and the numbers confirm this.
After sixteen races of the season, only two teams have won at least one grand prix: Red Bull (12) and Ferrari (4). Only four teams have achieved at least one podium finish: Red Bull, Ferrari, Mercedes and McLaren thanks to Lando Norris’ third place in the Imola Grand Prix. Only three teams have taken at least one pole position: Ferrari (9), Red Bull (5) and Mercedes (1). Just 12 months ago, the older generation of single-seaters had given a more unpredictable show with four teams capable of scoring at least one race victory (Mercedes, Red Bull, McLaren and Alpine).
Probably the return of Ferrari to fighting at the top represents a great driving force for the new course of the premier class of motorsport, however, data in hand, the current season has repeated the same huge difference between the three top teams and the midfield. On the basis of the unsuccessful results of the technical revolution of the current championship, is it possible to once again believe in the technical executive of the FIA who defined the rules of the future power units?
From the very first meetings of the Formula 1 Commission, it was agreed that the technology for the recovery of the excess kinetic energy of the turbine through the MGU-H component was expendable with the goal of simplifying the rules and reducing the excessive cost of the power unit, as well as the lower contribution of the thermal part in favor of a greater power to the electric components. Doubts about the possibility of matching the performance of the current Power Units have been raised by the manufacturers themselves over the last few years.
One of the ways to proceed could be the use of a double turbocharger. The first dedicated exclusively to the recovery of energy driven by exhaust gases. A second, driven directly by the engine. Basically a volumetric compressor not activated by the outgoing gases but by the engine itself and which compresses the air that enters the combustion chamber. A very widespread technology in production cars that would have made it possible to decouple energy recovery from flue gases.
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A second solution, proposed by the German manufacturers, involved the introduction of an energy recovery system at the front, taking up the concepts already seen on Prototypes at Le Mans. Assuming that the braking distribution is normally unbalanced on the front axle, storing energy produced by the braking effect of the rear is close to 30% of the total. Bu not exploiting the energy produced by the front brakes during braking, a 70% capacity for recovering the kinetic energy dissipated unnecessarily has been lost.
The proposal did not include the concept of four-wheel drive and was rejected for political reasons as Porsche, in anticipation of entering Formula 1, had accumulated important experience in the LMP category with the fantastic 919 Hybrid prototype.
The history that led to the definition of the new technical regulation is the result of a long process of political compromises aimed at balancing the interests of the manufacturers already present in the sport and the conditions imposed by Volkswagen for the entry of its brands into Formula 1.
The feeling is that the regulations for the 2026 Formula 1 Power Units, approved by the FIA World Automobile Council on August 16, are a response to the pressing need for new manufacturers to deliberate on burdensome sports programs on the basis of an official document. Equally palpable is the perception that the proposed structure will be the subject of numerous reviews so that the ambitious performance goals can actually be reflected on the track.
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