2026 is still almost two years away, but behind the scenes the FIA, Formula 1 and the manufacturers are already taking action in view of the future technical cycle. The regulations linked to the Power Unit were in fact revealed two years ago, giving manufacturers time to move forward with development work towards 2026 and interesting companies to take part in the tenders organized by the governing body.
Although the regulation has now been defined in its basic areas, in reality from many points of view it is a draft in continuous evolution with the addition of further details. After the drafting of the last revision, a few days it emerged that for the management of the electrical part there will be two pre-established modes of use, which cannot be constantly recharged without the aid of the MGU-H.
The Power Units of the next regulatory cycle will further enhance the electrical part with a different distribution of power: the energy of the hybrid will rise to around 50% of the total, leading to a significant reduction in the contribution of the thermal part compared to the current units . However, this will not be the only big news: various regulatory changes will push manufacturers to also review the packaging of the same unit, making it a different challenge than in the past. Although there are points in common with the current regulatory cycle, to develop future units in many respects it will be necessary to start from a blank sheet of paper.
The Honda F1 engine
Picture of: Giorgio Piola
Controls on external manufacturers
Several manufacturers have already registered for 2026: in addition to Ferrari, Mercedes and Renault, which will actually be renamed Alpine, Honda, Red Bull Powertrains and Audi will also take part, which will make its debut with an official team after having acquired 100% of Sauber. At the moment, further in the background is a possible participation of General Motors: the American brand, which would participate as Cadillac, completed its registration last November with the aim of entering the grid in 2028, but its candidacy is clearly linked to Andretti's approval.
Formula 1 itself has expressed doubts about the ability of Andretti and Cadillac to be ready quickly for such an important challenge, which is why it left the door open only for 2028, effectively closing the doors for 2026: “The application envisages a collaboration with General Motors which initially does not include a supply of PU, with the ambition of a full partnership with GM as a PU supplier at a later date,” read the statement released by F1.
“Most attempts in recent decades have been unsuccessful. The entry of a new PU manufacturer into the sport is a huge challenge, which major car manufacturers have struggled with in the past and which may require a number of years of significant investment to become competitive.”
Andretti had already signed an agreement for the supply of Power Units with Alpine, which would benefit from associating with an American team to have a connection on that market too. But precisely on this last point, Formula 1 added that the collaboration with Renault before the arrival of GM would put the intellectual property and know-how of the French company at risk, given that there could be in some way a transfer of knowledge towards Cadillac.
Red Bull Racing RB19, Power Unit
Photo by: Erik Junius
Although there are already precautionary measures on the part of each manufacturer, in the latest draft of the regulation the FIA has further revised the controls. The first step was to identify the definition of “External PU Manufacturer”, i.e. “a person or entity, including companies or legal entities, which was directly or indirectly registered to supply Power Units in F1 and was withdrawn from the grid or a Power Unit manufacturer who is undertaking development work to supply Power Units but has not yet registered with the FIA.”
This is an important aspect because this definition is inserted into a broader context of constraints which also regulate the use of personnel who are not yet linked to a project registered with the FIA, but who could still guarantee support to a manufacturer that is working towards 2026 or later. Furthermore, precisely to avoid transfers of intellectual property, the regulations involving the transfer of knowledge not only between those manufacturers already present, but also with the “external PU manufacturers” have also been revised. From a future perspective, the interesting thing is that, if Cadillac decides to close the project, the existing manufacturers will not be able to acquire components or intellectual property, while an exception has been made for the staff, who will be free to find another job.
The FIA has also strengthened certain controls for those manufacturers who share some equipment available on the market through external suppliers: in that case it must be ensured that there is no transfer of intellectual property, with even stricter controls by the governing body.
Detail of the Mercedes engine
Picture of: Giorgio Piola
New sensors and standard elements
The Federation's controls, however, do not stop there. In the latest regulatory draft, the FIA also granted itself the possibility of reviewing the number of SSPUC components, i.e. standard elements for the management of the Power Unit whose design and development is carried out by an external supplier chosen by the governing body. For example, one of the two flow meters currently installed on the Power Units is managed by an external supplier linked to the FIA.
From 2026 the FIA will be able to increase the number of standard components, especially in case of reliability problems and for monitoring, as specified in the same regulation, and will be communicated directly to all manufacturers, remaining valid until the end of the championship. Finally, another aspect that is interesting to mention is article 5.10.4, which specifies how all the Power Units must be equipped at specific points with lambda sensors, which measure the relationship between air and petrol, which may vary depending on the maps placed on the steering wheel.
The 2026 regulations are rather restrictive on some aspects of engine use, so it is possible that, by inserting these sensors in specific points of the Power Unit, you want to have greater controls to verify that all the parameters are legal.
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