By Carlo Platella
Electrification is now a reality in Formula 1 and in all the main motorsport disciplines, a world that never stops looking to the future. In an ever-evolving technological landscape, hydrogen is slowly emerging as the next great frontier. In the coming years, hydrogen will power some of the main international championships, Extreme H and World Endurance above all, becoming attractive in the long term also for Formula 1.
Push for liquid hydrogen
The development of hydrogen motorsport was one of the themes of the last meeting of the World Council on 28 February, as stated in the Federation's press release: “As part of the energy transition programme, which defines the gradual introduction of alternative power sources in motorsport, FIA continues the development of hydrogen-powered power units in several championships and disciplines.”
The most widespread concept at the moment involves the storage of hydrogen in gaseous form, which is technologically simpler and less energy-intensive than the liquid form. Liquefied hydrogen, for its part, has other attractive advantages, saving volume and weight from tanks thanks to its higher density. Hence FIA's desire to invest in research: “For the next phase, the FIA will focus its efforts on contributing to the development and promotion of solutions based onhydrogen stored in liquid form”we read in the press release.
“Considering the characteristics of the tank, with lower weight and volumes than tanks with compressed gaseous hydrogen, liquid storage is a more suitable modality for the demanding environment of motor racing, where optimization is the key. This also allows the powertrain architecture to remain more similar to that of a traditional combustion car compared to vehicles with compressed gas tanks”.
The prospects
The first championship to embrace hydrogen technology will be theExtreme H, born from the conversion to hydrogen of the current Extreme E and which will debut in 2025, aiming to obtain the FIA world championship designation the following year. The establishment of a hydrogen class is set for 2027 24 Hours of Le Manswith the plan to make it competitive enough to fight for overall victory and to extend its participation to the entire World Endurance Championship.
At the moment, there are no explicit references to a possible arrival of hydrogen in Formula 1. However, the same fuel was initially an option also for the 2026 regulations, evaluated to power opposed-piston combustion engines, a hypothesis that was later abandoned. In the end it was opted for an evolution of the current power units, whose electric power will rise to 50%, a definition which the FIA and Formula 1 are now starting to test the waters for the future.
It could be premature to think about regulations which, barring sensational failures of the next engines, they won't debut for ten years. However, the Federation's position is not yet a stance, but rather a simple incentive for research to study the potential of an alternative technology. All in a constantly evolving industrial context, which is pushing various companies to do the same.
Formula 1 investigations
Another expression of interest in this sense arrived last December, with the official announcement of the establishment of a working group for hydrogen composed of Extreme H, FIA and Formula 1. “The working group allows for a collaboration that will allow us to gain hands-on experience and will contribute to the understanding and development of several aspects of the hydrogen propulsion that the Extreme H will adopt,” the words of Pat Symonds, Chief Technical Officer of Formula 1.
There is also no shortage of statements from various exponents of the environment regarding the intention to restore centrality to the combustion engine in Formula 1. Hydrogen represents a useful tool for this purpose, without necessarily excluding synthetic and biological fuels which will debut in 2026. The next regulations will introduce an important innovation, namely control over the flow of energy. What will be limited is not simply the quantity of fuel injected into the engine, but this will be related to its energy content, so that all engine engineers inject the same quantity of energy into the combustion chamber
The trick will allow the coexistence of fuels with different compositions, theoretically extendable to hydrogen in the future. In that case, however, other aspects that are difficult to balance would take over, such as the size of the tank, the different efficiency of the combustion process or the necessary supply of air to the engine, strictly connected to the number and size of the compressors. The only certainty is that the FIA and Formula 1 have a decade to make their own considerations, evaluating every possibility for the technological future of the Circus, including hydrogen propulsion.
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