The month of March means the start of a new Formula 1 season and this year, that season is already looking somewhat like the previous two, with Max Verstappen and Red Bull continuing to crush the opposition and the nine constructors behind them chasing their tails. To me, it feels like yesterday that changes to the aerodynamic regulations mandating the use of underfloor Venturi tunnels to generate downforce first manifested themselves in the spring of 2022. But this sport always has one eye on the future and the next technical revolution will primarily affect the engines inside the cars, not the chassis themselves.
These engines, approved for use effective 2026 by F1’s five power unit manufacturers, are set to be 100 per cent sustainably powered, with energy being sourced from green hydrogen and biomass, up from the 10 per cent of the fuel that currently consists of renewables in the form of ethanol. Electrical energy will also play a far greater role in powering cars. The half of the internal combustion engine that runs on heat energy, the heat motor generator unit (MGU-H), has been banned, and a 300 per cent more potent hybrid component is set to be employed to compensate.
The elimination of the MGU-H, the priciest and by far most complex component of the current power units, is likely to reduce the scope for one manufacturer to strike gold à la Mercedes in 2014 due to a head start in preparation or greater allocation of resources. This is exactly what Formula 1 will be aspiring to achieve after consecutive multi-year runs of unprecedented success by a single outfit.
Simply put, the engines are due to be less powerful, a reality all parties were aware of when coming to an agreement on the regulations due to the challenges of replacing fossil fuels, meaning the cars will be slower – a lot slower, predicts Red Bull chief technical officer Adrian Newey. The reduced exhaust flow runs the risk of causing delayed response when a driver puts their foot on the throttle, a phenomenon known as ‘turbo lag’ that could require messy adjustments to driving styles.
If there is one thing Formula 1 fans love to do, it is idealise “the new regs,” but for all the interest in the sustainability drive, what a race weekend will look like in 2026 remains in question. Perhaps, after the last few years, that is part of the appeal.
“Merc F1 Engine Close” by Bushtography is licensed under CC BY 2.0.