New Engine Regulations 2026

[nudge+]

Will be very eager to hear what comes out of it... 

[nudge+]

Looks like they are close to reaching an agreement, which means Porsche and Audi would join as engine suppliers!

https://www.auto-motor-und-sport.de/formel-1/f1-motor-2026-einigung-details-porsche-audi/

Simpler, cheaper power units, MGU-H gone, biofuels, increased capacity of MGU-K.

[nudge+]

Some new information released: 

That's a massive increase in electrical power

[nudge+]

Audi intends to confirm its plans to enter F1 early next year.

https://www.racefans.net/2021/12/20/audi-tells-fia-it-intends-to-confirm-f1-entry-early-next-year/

[MUFC]

59 minutes ago, nudge said:

Audi intends to confirm its plans to enter F1 early next year.

https://www.racefans.net/2021/12/20/audi-tells-fia-it-intends-to-confirm-f1-entry-early-next-year/

Just need BMW to jump back in.

[nudge+]

4 minutes ago, MUFC said:

Just need BMW to jump back in.

Nope, Porsche... 

[Tommy]

 

[nudge+]

25 minutes ago, Tommy said:

 

Read it yesterday, will believe it when it's official would be massive though. Audi seem to be really interested in taking over McLaren... Red Bull Porsche has a nice ring to it

[Tommy]

 

[nudge+]

On 08/04/2022 at 00:39, Tommy said:

 

Sauber-Audi rumours are getting louder and louder, and I have very mixed feelings about it. On one hand, it could be a great opportunity for Sauber to establish itself as a solid midfield team. On the other hand, I really don't like Audi.

[MUFC]

 

[Tommy]

 

[MUFC]

 

[nudge+]

Finally, new engine regulations approved. Expect Porsche and Audi news any time now.

[Tommy]

[Tommy]

 

[Tommy]

 

[nudge+]

48 minutes ago, Tommy said:

 

Would have been pretty cool, but I guess now Porsche will fully concentrate on the new WEC programme, so I can't complain. 

[Panflute]

Just saw the news on Motorsport.com (the Dutch version). According to them, there are 3 possibilities:

- Red Bull will go fully independent with RBPT.
- Honda will return as a supplier/partner, although the issue there would be that Honda has always supplied its components from Japan, and RBPT is in the UK.
- Red Bull will join forces with a commercial partner who pays an amount of money to slap its name on the engine. According to Motorsport, the possible candidates mainly include brands that you wouldn't directly identify with F1.

[Stan]

On 10/09/2022 at 01:08, Panflute said:

- Honda will return as a supplier/partner, although the issue there would be that Honda has always supplied its components from Japan, and RBPT is in the UK.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/64704532

Quote

 

Honda says it is considering a formal return to Formula 1 to coincide with the new engine regulations that will be introduced in 2026.

The company officially pulled out of F1 at the end of 2021, although its engines are still used by the two Red Bull teams and will be called Hondas again in 2023.

"For the time being, we would like to keep a close eye on where F1 is going and just see how things go," Honda president Koji Watanabe said.

"We don't have any concrete decisions on whether we will be going back."

The new F1 engine regulations will see the sport continue with 1.6-litre turbo hybrid engines, but with a change in architecture to simplify the technology. There will be a significant increase in the proportion of power provided by electricity, and the use of carbon-neutral synthetic fuels.

Honda has not yet formally committed to entering F1 from 2026 but Watanabe said the new rules were appealing as they aligned with Honda's corporate strategy.

Speaking at an official Honda news conference on Monday, Watanabe said: "Formula 1 is greatly shifting towards electrification. Given that, carbon neutrality is our corporate-wide target at Honda so we think F1's future direction is in line with our target. That is why we have decided to register as a manufacturer of a power-unit.

"We are curious about where F1 is going and how is that going to look with more electrification happening.

"We would like to keep a very close eye on that and that is why we have decided to register as a PU manufacturer. And after we made the registration, we have been contacted by multiple F1 teams."

The outline of the 2026 engine regulations was finalised in August last year, but they remain a work in progress as details continue to be ironed out.

McLaren are among the teams said to have contacted Honda about a supply in 2026, but the Japanese company would likely be of interest to many teams given that they have won the world title for the last two years with Red Bull.

Mercedes, Ferrari, Red Bull, Alpine and Audi are all committed to their own engine projects, but the Aston Martin, Haas, McLaren and Williams teams are all yet to sign up to power-unit partners from 2026.

Honda's decision to officially withdraw from F1 at the end of 2021 was made on the basis that it wanted to divert resources towards pursuing carbon-neutrality through "future power-unit and energy technologies, including fuel-cell vehicle and battery technologies".

But since then, Honda has had a new president, and more clarity has emerged on the 2026 rules.

Honda was named as one of six companies that had officially registered as a power-unit supplier for the period 2026-2030 by governing body the FIA this month. The others are Alpine, Audi, Ferrari, Mercedes and Red Bull Ford.

Red Bull is switching partners to Ford from 2026 as the US giant joins forces with the new engine plant created by the soft drinks company at their F1 base, Red Bull Powertrains.

The Honda name is formally returning to F1 this year after a season's absence, with the engine used by Red Bull officially titled a Honda RBPT.

 

 

[MUFC]

https://www.planetf1.com/news/f1-2026-regulations-unveiled-fia

[MUFC]

Power boost system.

[Stan]

Smaller, 'nimbler' cars for 2026:

Quote

 

Formula 1 cars will be smaller, nimbler and more environmentally friendly from 2026, the sport's governing body the FIA has said.

Cars will be 30kg lighter, 10cm narrower and have engines with a near 50-50 split between electric and internal combustion power - and use fully sustainable fuels.

The FIA described the concept at the heart of the 2026 rules as a "nimble car".

Active aerodynamics will be used to optimise the use of the new engines.

Cars will have front and rear wings that open on the straights to reduce drag and increase speed, but then close to increase downforce for cornering performance.

And overtaking will be facilitated by a power-boost system for a car following another, to be known as manual override mode.

This is instead of the current DRS (drag-reduction system) overtaking aid.

The new hybrid engines, which triple the amount of electrical power used, have attracted two new manufacturers into F1 in the shape of Audi and Ford, and persuaded Honda to reverse its decision to quit the sport.

Along with Mercedes, Ferrari and Renault, and the new Red Bull Powertrains company with which Ford is joining forces, there will be a total of six engine manufacturers in F1 in 2026.

FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem said: "The key features of the 2026 regulations are advanced, sustainable technology and safety.

"Our aim, together with F1, was to produce a car that was right for the future of the sport's elite category. We believe we have achieved that goal."

The rules are a part of F1's pledge to go net-zero carbon by 2030.

The FIA's announcement on Thursday, on the eve of this weekend's Canadian Grand Prix, is the first confirmation of the 2026 chassis rules - the changes to the engines have been known for two years.

The new regulations governing cars include:

• Minimum weight reduced by 30kg to 768kg
• Width reduced by 10cm to 190cm
• Front tyres narrower by 25mm and rears by 30mm, while retaining wheels of 18 inches in diameter
• Active aerodynamics to reduce drag on the straights and optimise the operation of the new engines
• A revised, partially flat floor to limit underbody aerodynamic 'ground effect' and reduce the need for the cars to be run very stiff and low - as they have been since the current rules were introduced in 2022.

There has been criticism that the introduction of active aerodynamics as a fundamental operating characteristic of the car is unnecessarily complex.

But they have been employed because the drag of the cars needed to be reduced and braking distances increased so sufficient energy could be recovered during braking to supply the much greater electrical capacity of the power unit.

FIA single-seater technical director Jan Monchaux said: "The DRS on the rear wing will not be used to facilitate overtaking any more. It will be used by default on every straight by every car to drop drag levels, because this comes with some strong benefits for energy consumption.

"But also having higher top speed allows you to recover more [energy] when you're braking at the end of the straight."

On the new overtaking boost system, Monchaux said drivers would be allowed to use more electrical energy than their opponent if they were within a given distance of the car in front before the end of a lap.

How are the engines changing?

The moveable aerodynamics have been required because the new engines are less efficient than the existing ones as a result of the removal for 2026 of the expensive and complex Motor Generator Unit-Heat (MGU-H) - a part of the hybrid system that recovers energy from the turbocharger.

Without the MGU-H, other means were needed to recover sufficient energy for the increased electrical power from the engine - which is being raised from 120kW to 350kW.

Head of aerodynamics Jason Somerville said the FIA had turned to moveable aerodynamics to reduce drag because otherwise the cars would have "experienced a severe drop in speed at the end of the typical main straights".

Other than the removal of the MGU-H, the engines will be similar to the existing ones - 1.6-litre V6 turbo hybrids.

A key change is the introduction of a 100% sustainable fuel.

When they burn, these fuels only put back into the atmosphere the carbon dioxide that was taken out of it to make them in the first place.

A study by Prof Felix Leach at Oxford University, funded by F1, found these fuels can achieve a reduction in life-cycle CO2 emissions of greater than 90% compared with fossil fuels.

These fuels can be used in almost any internal combustion engine.

The FIA is introducing an assurance scheme to "check the source of all the components used by fuel suppliers to produce the sustainable fuels" to ensure their credibility.

F1 chairman Stefano Domenicali said: "The new sustainably fuelled hybrid power unit presents a huge opportunity for the global automotive industry. The drop-in fuel has the potential to be used by cars around the world and dramatically cut emissions."

 

 

[Panflute]

There's a lot of speculation in the media about the different power units. In the Dutch media, particularly Ziggo (who aren't always well-informed and have an anti-RB agenda now believe it or not) are saying that every driver wants to sign for a team with a Mercedes PU as that will be the best one. I've seen some of that rebuked in British media, who suggest the RB power unit is actually shaping up pretty well. Curious to see who'll be right.