Formula 1 is searching for its identity: the new regulations are still unclear, even though engine manufacturers have been working on the 2026 power units for at least four years, investing heavily. But it’s not just the manufacturers (Mercedes, Ferrari, Honda, Audi, Red Bull Powertrains) engaged in the research—suppliers are also working silently, without visibility, on innovative solutions, driving materials research that could transform products and contribute to performance gains.
While discussions continue over how power should be divided (rumors suggest 50% electric and 50% internal combustion in qualifying, but 150 kW would be removed from the electric side during races to avoid charging issues at circuits with lower energy recovery like Monza, Jeddah, Las Vegas, and Baku), some are already deeply involved in defining solutions that will need to work regardless of the final rules approved…
Thanks to its expertise, UFI Filters has earned the trust of all ten teams currently on the F1 grid: the Verona-based company supplies each team with around a dozen filters (ranging from 11 to 17), each of which is “tailor made” through co-design with the teams, making every element unique.
The 2026 regulations raise the technological challenge with increasingly extreme fields of research. UFI Filters will intervene on several parts of F1 cars: engine oil, engine air filter, and hydraulic circuits that control DRS, power steering, and brakes, where filtration is essential to ensure driver safety. There are also filters for dielectric fluids used in thermal management of the battery and hybrid system temperatures.
In short, the scope of action is very wide, and it’s interesting to discover what will change for UFI Filters with the new power units and the introduction of e-fuels…
“In the internal combustion engine, we help optimize performance,” explains Davide Moletta, High Tech Division Manager at UFI Filters. “At this stage, talking about 100% synthetic fuel is more of a marketing operation. From 2026 to 2030, fuels will contain only 20% ethanol and will still be petroleum-derived. The real shift to synthetic will come in 2030, when ARAMCO will release the base recipe to other producers. It won’t be a single-spec fuel, but rather a base chemical formula released by ARAMCO, the Saudi company working with the FIA. Then, manufacturers will be able to customize their fuels according to their needs: detonation, combustion type, and timing.”
Are paddock rumors true that the best fuel could offer a 30-horsepower advantage?
“In the high-pressure fuel circuit, none of the manufacturers have reached the 500 bar limit allowed by the rules. Some have pushed to 300–320 bar, but that’s already a threshold where problems start. Within a fluid, which is composed of various chemical elements, you have to control the pressure and temperatures. Beyond a certain point, chemical reactions can ignite, leading to fluid acidification or NOx emissions in the exhaust.”
“The engine is like a violin that needs tuning,” adds UFI Filters president Giorgio Girondi. “Some manage it well, others less so. We use steel for the filtering part and titanium for the metal components. Their characteristics ensure that even with full filter blockage at the circuit’s maximum upstream pump pressure, there is no leakage. Our filter won’t collapse or explode, so the car stops, but the engine isn’t compromised. You just need to replace the filter, and the car can restart…”
Are you testing innovative solutions never used in F1 for next year?
“With filtering media,” continues Davide Moletta, “we constantly receive updated formulas from teams: we’re talking about fiberglass instead of polypropylene. Once a polymer is chosen, we immediately carry out customer testing with 20% ethanol fuel. We do the same with adhesives. Updates are nearly daily, making dimensional studies more agile. Air filters, for example, come in very different shapes because of each team’s aerodynamic design. Every engine maker defines a specific space: filtration might be similar, but sizes are very different.”
What’s the most critical element?
“The filter that protects the driver. We can afford an engine issue that stops the car, but not a failure in driver safety: the DRS and brake circuits must always be perfect. For the hydraulic circuits, we collaborate with Brembo: safety is paramount, so that part of the circuits is definitely the most challenging.”
Will there be changes in this area in 2026?
“The various hydraulic manifolds have specific technical filtration requirements. In braking, there’s now a dual rear circuit—where once the pedal directly controlled the caliper, today there’s brake-by-wire, which adds energy recovery braking: two hydraulic circuits, one more traditional and a second multi-pass. The two systems require different filters. The first lasts longer, while the second is much more high-performance.”
The 2026 innovations won’t stop at the power units—there will also be active aerodynamics at the front, in addition to the rear DRS flap. This won’t necessarily increase the number of filters on the cars. It will depend on the hydraulic circuit configuration developed by teams and the requirements of the hydraulic manifolds, the control units that regulate fluid flow. To avoid issues with the valves that open and close the circuits (and thus, the moveable wings), the oil inside must be extremely clean. For reference, the baseline filtration requirement is 3 microns—this applies to the braking system too.
The team of technicians led by Davide Moletta and dedicated to F1 consists of about fifteen specialists working from the Nogarole Rocca headquarters. But the Verona multinational also relies on three R&D centers in Ala di Trento, Shanghai, and New Delhi…
“We involve engineers in India for fluid dynamics and mechanical analyses, boosting our work power with 40–50 local technicians. When it comes to designing with metallic or plastic filter materials, the Nogarole Rocca staff collaborates with the Ala di Trento team.”
UFI Filters believes in the two-way exchange of technical knowledge between the automotive and motorsport worlds…
“We are driven by passion and love tackling the toughest research,” says Girondi. “We’re studying filtration for hydrogen, which will be crucial for future e-fuels.”
Are you exploring new materials?
“There are many interesting solutions for filtering media,” concludes Moletta. “With 3D-printed materials loaded with carbon and Kevlar, we’re years ahead of current requirements. You must never stop. And F1 pushes us to always go further.”
One example is the attempt to reduce the weight of 2026 cars by about thirty kilos: weight reduction, beyond dimensional studies, will involve refining every single component. Team chief designers are evaluating moving hydraulic circuits and filters to more advantageous positions for car balance.
“In general, the customer drives the development of the hydraulic circuit to optimize the size of the filter housings. Once the ideal spot is found to make the most of available space and optimize weight distribution,” concludes Davide Moletta, “UFI receives weight targets. To meet them, we work on filtering media and increasingly thinner aluminum walls.”
Leave a Reply