F1 | Engines 2026: this is why we don't need engineers but mathematicians

The more the regulation of the new power units introduces new elements of understanding, the more we understand how the birth of these units is terribly messed up. The dogma that F1 has given itself is that in 2026 we will have a power of around a thousand horsepower split 50% between the internal combustion engine and the hybrid. A request that was strongly supported by Audi and at the time by Porsche which then left the scene.

An unrealistic choice useful for diminishing the value of the 6-cylinder turbo to enhance the electric part: when we moved from statements to facts, everyone discovered how difficult it is to find a good performance balance of a power unit which in certain moments of a lap will have more than a thousand horsepower and a few moments later it could suddenly find itself with half the power due to the need to recharge the hybrid battery.

And so, it was decided to transform F1 into a category where the search for full power will not count, but the ability to know how to distribute energy in the best way over a lap: the fear of some manufacturers was that you could see the drivers braking in a straight line and, perhaps, even downshifting a gear to regenerate the battery. A madness that would have led to a management of the GPs that was incomprehensible to the public, which is why the FIA ​​saw fit to set limits by introducing new regulations that will serve to define both fuel consumption and the use of electricity.

The internal combustion engine will remain a 1.6-liter turbocharged V6 with a power that will drop from the current 550-560 kW to 400 kW (535 HP), while the MGU-K will be able to release 350 kW (480 HP) compared to to the current 150 kW. This is a sidereal change that forces management constraints to be put in place, regardless of whether a “push to pass” is desired. The legislator has called the overtaking mode “override”: the surplus power will not be a fixed value, but will vary according to the speed that the driver will have at the moment of activation and which should increase.

Here we are, unfortunately, still in a gray area given that the “override” function will be described in the Sporting Regulations which does not yet exist, just as the car does not exist (a draft regulation will be presented at the meeting on 11 April).

ERS-K Power Management on Power Units 2026

Photo by: Gianluca D'Alessandro

The FIA ​​would like the exploitation of electric power to take place in the acceleration phase at low speeds as it was in the KERS era: the objective is to empty the battery and use the thermal engines for continuous charging. And so with the new draft of the rules the maximum electric power will be available up to 280 km/h, and will go to zero with the increase in speed. At the speed trap we will have less performing F1s which, however, should reach maximum speed sooner thanks to higher acceleration values.

Here is the case that contains the Red Bull RB20 battery

Picture of: Giorgio Piola

The Pirelli technicians will be happy as they will have to deal with tire overheating, which is the enemy they are fighting now. In the rewriting of the rules there is also a reduction in the energy recoverable in one lap: it drops from 9 MJ to 8.5 MJ. The intent is quite clear: to avoid trying to recharge the battery on the forehand. And it will be interesting to find out how management will change on tracks where battery regeneration will be more difficult like in Monza. The FIA, in fact, introduces other constraints to prevent petrol from being used for electric charging. A very complicated conundrum that will be very difficult to explain to enthusiasts for a good understanding of what will happen on the track and, above all, will also make the controls complicated.

F1 has so far been developed by engineers, over time promoting the aerodynamic and electronic ones to primary roles just as the mechanical ones once were. Now we are entering a new era, that of algorithms: it should not be surprising, in fact, if Fred Vasseur, for potential the Scuderia staff is looking for experts in artificial intelligence, statisticians and mathematicians to cover those functions that the new regulation requires.

The technical challenge for 2026 is certainly very complex: saving energy and, therefore, reducing consumption will be the guiding light for F1 in the near future. The important thing is that we don't bite off more than we can chew to get ahead of the times…