New F1 Engine Formula 2026

[HustleRussell]

Here we go, new engine rules plan according to AMuS and The Race...

[TheDeuce]

I hope that's all broadly accurate as it's pretty much exactly what I predicted a week ago and it'd be nice to be right

Particularly good to hear a significant increase in electrification is planned. A no brainer in my view as the huge extra lump of power they will be able to release when overtaking will be very visible on screen - an excellent way to promote interest and sales of electrified road cars, whilst maintaining a chiefly ICE powered F1 spectacle. For the time being at least..

[DanielSan]

TheDeuce said:

I hope that's all broadly accurate as it's pretty much exactly what I predicted a week ago and it'd be nice to be right

Particularly good to hear a significant increase in electrification is planned. A no brainer in my view as the huge extra lump of power they will be able to release when overtaking will be very visible on screen - an excellent way to promote interest and sales of electrified road cars, whilst maintaining a chiefly ICE powered F1 spectacle. For the time being at least..

Not really sure increasing to the power of one electrical unit to make up for the removal of the other one is an overall increase in electrification though, just a redistribution.

[TheDeuce]

DanielSan said:

TheDeuce said:

I hope that's all broadly accurate as it's pretty much exactly what I predicted a week ago and it'd be nice to be right

Particularly good to hear a significant increase in electrification is planned. A no brainer in my view as the huge extra lump of power they will be able to release when overtaking will be very visible on screen - an excellent way to promote interest and sales of electrified road cars, whilst maintaining a chiefly ICE powered F1 spectacle. For the time being at least..

Not really sure increasing to the power of one electrical unit to make up for the removal of the other one is an overall increase in electrification though, just a redistribution.

Bigger batteries and more of the peak power is delivered electrically... How can that not be an increase in electrification..?

The removal of MGU-H is just a sacking off of an overly complex method of energy recovery.

[HustleRussell]

I'd go as far as to say that binning the MGU-H and increasing electrical harvesting / deployment was a foregone conclusion. It's been talked about for literally years.

I am relieved that we aren't going to get deployment on the front axle.

It's a massive disappointment that it's going to be bigger and heavier though.

[DanielSan]

HustleRussell said:

It's a massive disappointment that it's going to be bigger and heavier though.

No easier way to be more related to production cars than just making them bigger and heavier.

[cholo]

There doesn't appear to be any 'official announcement' on this yet and the article contains very little additional detail on what we already know.

Also, no details on ICE element of PU.

Bit of a non-story really.

[TheDeuce]

DanielSan said:

HustleRussell said:

It's a massive disappointment that it's going to be bigger and heavier though.

No easier way to be more related to production cars than just making them bigger and heavier.

Indeed. As with all aspects of increasing automotive electrification, battery energy density is an issue that forces everything to be a bit.. chunky.

F1 has little choice but to embrace the shift towards electric, so its sad but unavoidable that we'll see chunkier cars.

EDIT: Although I'm not sure how significant the battery weight increase will be, or the weight saving by sacking off the MGU-H

On a more positive note, despite the extra weight, the extra power available will offset the weight gain in terms of outright speed. Acceleration out of corners should be quite astonishing.

Edited by TheDeuce on Friday 1st October 15:27

[TheDeuce]

cholo said:

There doesn't appear to be any 'official announcement' on this yet and the article contains very little additional detail on what we already know.

Also, no details on ICE element of PU.

Bit of a non-story really.

The key part is that it confirms that talks took place at Monza - and due to things never saying secret for long in F1, I would expect the details it gives of the electrification increase and VAG's plans to be based on fact, as a lot of people would have been privy to those talks. Even if it's not yet official.

Same as it was unofficially known by just about everyone that F1 was off to Qatar in November, a month before it was officially announced.

[LaurasOtherHalf]

I wish they’d stop this pandering to VW.

As usual, F1 completely fails to understand that static regulations lead to better racing as the law of diminishing returns means they all catch up eventually.

All they’re doing is introducing the opportunity of one engine supplier developing something that blasts the competition out of the water and is locked in by their stupid homologation rules.

If they wanted to make one simple rule change that would mean everyone has an almost level playing field, simply introduce an open source design frame after six months.

Any new development you do your rivals see after six months.

[Sandpit Steve]

Too restrictive yet again, removing the element that contributes most to the world-beating thermal efficiency of these engines.

A high chance that one company ‘nails’ the new design, as Mercedes did with the last regulations, with the development restrictions meaning it takes a long time for competitors to catch up.

It’ll never happen, but I’d go the other way - give them 100kg of fuel for the race, to make any engine they like. Take the battery weight out of the minimum car weight, so there’s a huge incentive to develop lighter and more dense batteries. It’s supposed to be a bloody prototype series!

[TheDeuce]

LaurasOtherHalf said:

I wish they’d stop this pandering to VW.

As usual, F1 completely fails to understand that static regulations lead to better racing as the law of diminishing returns means they all catch up eventually.

All they’re doing is introducing the opportunity of one engine supplier developing something that blasts the competition out of the water and is locked in by their stupid homologation rules.

If they wanted to make one simple rule change that would mean everyone has an almost level playing field, simply introduce an open source design frame after six months.

Any new development you do your rivals see after six months.

If the ICE side is the same as at present (I imagine it is, not least as VW already have that bit nailed), then that would effectively be static regs wouldn't it? The battery and deployment tech is almost certain to be standardised so they may well not be introducing anything 'new' that provides an opportunity for one team to take a jump.

[TheDeuce]

Sandpit Steve said:

It’ll never happen, but I’d go the other way - give them 100kg of fuel for the race, to make any engine they like. Take the battery weight out of the minimum car weight, so there’s a huge incentive to develop lighter and more dense batteries. It’s supposed to be a bloody prototype series!

Whilst I'm happy with part of the proposed new regs, I do agree - they should have a lot more freedom.

There are also firms that are spending billions on commercially developing far denser batteries that would surely sponsor the teams and deliver to them absolute cutting edge battery tech. Mass production of solid state cells (2-3 times energy density of current cells) is proving extremely challenging but lab produced prototypes are starting to trickle out. Wouldn't an F1 car be the perfect place to showcase such technology in order to raise funds for further development?

I do think there are missed opportunities here. Although to embrace the opportunities, F1 would have to offer serious freedom and could find itself going full electric somewhat sooner than expected..

[DrDeAtH]

VW powertrain in.... takes over Red Bull power train... Nice little offload for RB

And a poke in the eye to Honda

[RemarkLima]

I think it's a shame that the MGU-H is being dropped, as that's a genuinely fantastic bit of technology! If you could get it in a road car, then no waste gate and being able to harvest loads of wasted energy just by driving normally would be brilliant!

But maybe that ship has sailed already?

[Fundoreen]

Well 2026 is a bit simpler so even those that never quite mastered the current engine should do ok.
Next 4 years should be interesting to see if the everything+kitchen sink approach from honda pays off for Red bull.
Renault boss has already admitted they have shot themselves in the foot with their gradual improvements approach.

[TheDeuce]

RemarkLima said:

I think it's a shame that the MGU-H is being dropped, as that's a genuinely fantastic bit of technology! If you could get it in a road car, then no waste gate and being able to harvest loads of wasted energy just by driving normally would be brilliant!

But maybe that ship has sailed already?

It's a clever but useless bit of tech. The relatively small amount of energy reclaimed is less than it costs to produce the hardware, which by its nature is fragile and short lived. Compared with greater levels of kinetic energy reclamation that road cars enjoy, which F1 cars cannot. Also, it's of no use to electrified cars which generate no exhaust in the first place.

It got F1 PU's to the headline grabbing 50%+ thermal efficiency. That was great for the sports image. It's just not practical for road cars now, and irrelevant in the near future.

None of these changes were up to the FIA or F1 anyway, PU spec has for a long time been decided by what manufacturers want to supply - and F1 is entirely at their mercy because if they can't race with the PU spec they feel will shift road cars, they'll simply depart the sport. That's what honda have already done and F1 are now dangerously short of suppliers, they had to change to accommodate VW whilst also keeping the established remaining suppliers happy.

Edited by TheDeuce on Friday 1st October 22:25

[DanielSan]

F1 aren't dangerously short of suppliers though, they're back to the 3 who were originally around in 2014 with 2 less teams to supply than were on the grid in 2014. The only awkward situation when it comes to supply would be Red Bull after they burned their bridges but worst comes to the worst Renault would have to supply them again anyway.

[TheDeuce]

DanielSan said:

F1 aren't dangerously short of suppliers though, they're back to the 3 who were originally around in 2014 with 2 less teams to supply than were on the grid in 2014. The only awkward situation when it comes to supply would be Red Bull after they burned their bridges but worst comes to the worst Renault would have to supply them again anyway.

There was a question mark over Renault remaining as a PU supplier too.

I also think there must be a concern that whilst the 'Red Bull' engine is currently very competitive, post Honda involvement it's unlikely to remain so, especially with the 26' spec change.

VW + Merc + Ferrari + Renault would represent 4 very solid PU suppliers. Three suppliers is 'enough' but if one leaves there is then an instant supply issue - so F1 will seek to retain 4 suppliers if possible.

EDIT: Regards Honda/RB PU, I think that along with the UK facility will likely be taken over by VW, on whatever basis.

Edited by TheDeuce on Saturday 2nd October 14:02

[Fundoreen]

MGU-H had to go as its just a pointless top secret thing. Always just shown as a box on a diagram.
The fact they can just up the battery power available instead shows what a waste of money it is.