The goal is very ambitious: to compete in a Formula 1 Grand Prix with only 80 kg of fuel. A reduction of almost 30 percent in consumption compared to the maximum limit allowed today by the regulations which is 110 kg. An epochal revolution to be carried out with ecological fuel with reduced environmental impact following the lines dictated by the FIA and Formula 1 which also pursue the drastic reduction of costs (a power unit must cost half). This is the most recent information reported by Motorsport Italy regarding the new generation of Formula 1 power units.
Jean Todt said in Monza that “… motorsport must be considered a laboratory for the development of road safety”. And Formula 1, which represents its apex, must be functional to automotive research and development in the delicate ecological transition.
Indeed, F1 should take on a major role in safeguarding the clean heat engine as an alternative to the electric one. It is for this reason that the manufacturers which gathered in Monza agreed that it is better to start the challenge from 2026, rather than from the previous year, as was originally planned.
If the questions of principle raise the engine project of the future to something strategic, how you can get to have a thousand horsepower power unit opens up many other scenarios in which the chess game of regulations will become strategic in defining the hierarchies on track.
Ferrari was the first to open up to the possibility of giving up the MGU-H, the electric motor that draws energy from the turbo, a complex and very expensive element, which, however, contributes to generating the power of the hybrid system.
Since the endothermic will remain a turbo-equipped 6-cylinder V-architecture engine, it is easy to predict that due to the fuel constraints that will be introduced it will have a power of only 500 horsepower, compared to today’s 750, for which 350 kW will be needed from the hybrid system instead of the current 120 kW. The challenge will be how to achieve them and the exercise is proving to be particularly complex for which it will not be easy to find a synthesis.
Stefano Domenicali, president and CEO of Formula 1, wants to involve a new VW Group engine and representatives of Porsche and Audi are participating in the definition of the rules, so the discussions are opening up to a wider perimeter than the usual four (Mercedes, Ferrari, Renault and Honda).
And it is interesting to note that the engine issue is not in the hands of the Motorsport departments, but at the top of the manufacturers: Ola Kallenius (Mercedes), John Elkann (Ferrari), Luca De Meo (Renault). The three presidents are joined by Christian Horner as CEO of Red Bull Powertrains and representatives of Porsche and Audi.
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Each manufacturer can bring the CTO (Chief Technology Officer) and in the case of Ferrari we are talking about Michael Hugo Leiters, that is to say the good technical manager of the product area who, however, does not have too much knowledge of F1, but reports the choices shared in the company.
The idea of those who promote the meetings (F1 and FIA) is to maintain a “high” level of discussion, without falling into the partisan “guerrillas” that characterize the F1 Commissions, where each representative tries to make the best choice for his own team. And it is not certain, therefore, that in this delicate phase what is carried out by the top management of the manufacturers must coincide with the wishes of the Motorsport departments.
Toto Wolff gave a clear example of this on Sunday, coming out with statements before the meeting of the Chiefs on the willingness of Mercedes to give up the MGU-H as long as compromises are found on the management of the hybrid part, as if to want to mark the territory before Kallenius could go in other directions with fellow presidents.
And the “disconnect” between the parties or the different solutions to be carried out are less rare than one might think, so let’s also be prepared for surprises. Selecting, therefore, the best way to develop the 350 kW hybrid will be a topic to be solved by the end of the year and finding a synthesis that can be suitable for everyone will not be easy. The next episode at the end of October …
