Motorsports world governing body FIA on Wednesday approved the new power unit regulations which will come into effect from the F1 2026 season.
The new regulations will not only have increased electrical power but also 100 per cent sustainable fuels
which will be the two key aspects of the newly-approved rules.
Here are a couple of things that F1 fans need to know about the 2026 F1 engine regulations.
1) Sustainable fuel comes into play According to the information available on the F1 website the new F1 power units will run on fully sustainable fuels
which means no new fossil carbon will be burned. The carbon will b attained from non-food sources,
genuine municipal waste, or even out of the atmosphere.
2) Powerful electrical engines The second factor which would come into play will be the current 1.6-litre,
V6 turbocharged internal combustion engine that will evolve to include a far more powerful electrical component.
The MGU-K (or Kinetic Motor Generator Unit) will almost triple the amount of electrical power produced
by the current hybrid components. More braking energy – that would otherwise be wasted – will be collected and as a result,
3) Lesser use of fuel And with that higher proportion of electrical power, less fuel will flow to the engines,
and less fuel will be used overall – but the power units will still provide over 1,000 horsepower, and they could even be louder too.
4) Improvement in safety With the MGU-K set to be enclosed within the chassis, next to the battery and control electronics,
all high-voltage equipment will now be contained within the safety cell – making for a safer car.
5) Lower cost An engine-specific cost cap, plus banning of expensive manufacturing materials and systems such as the MGU-H
(Motor Generator Unit – Heat) plus the use of standardised components – will help to bring costs down.
Dyno hours will also be constrained – but creativity won’t. Engineers will continue to be able to innovate around .
the electrical systems to power their teams to wins and championships and develop a more sustainable future in the process.
6) Drivers to face new challengers With the removal of complexities such as the MGU-H,
turbo lag might return and that could make the cars harder to control on corner exits.
It could also provide more of a challenge for the drivers and strategists too,
as they will need to decide when the driver should sit back, and when they should attack using the power unit’s electrical potential.
7) Batteries recycling is mandatory Formula 1 is committed to keeping more materials above ground as it targets environmental responsibility.
Recycling options will be mandated for batteries.