The F1 world championship 2022 as soon as it is finished it will be remembered, as well as for the domain of the Red Bull from Max Verstappen, for the new technical rules that have introduced the ground effect and low profile tires in the top racing series. But the International Federationespecially the World Motor Sport Council, has already been working for some time on more regulatory changes that will be effective in 2026.
New F1 2026 Technical Regulations
The attention of Formula 1 technicians in drafting the new F1 2026 regulations is aimed at units hybrid V6 engineswith the purpose of reduce polluting emissions and contain costs, as far as possible.
New F1 2026 V6 Hybrid F1 engines
The first noticeable change will be the deletion of the MGU-Hor the electric machine mechanically connected to the turbocharger group, which gave the designers so many headaches both in terms of reliability and costs.
Will be kept MGU-Kor the reversible group electric motor-generator which recovers energy under braking and pushes the car on acceleration, increasing its power, both in terms of delivery and energy recovery under braking, from the current 160 HP (120 kW) to around 470 hp (350 kW). The entire powertrain will deliver more power than the 1,000 hp (746 kW).
New F1 2026 Regulations
The reduction of polluting emissions will be pursued with the use of a synthetic fuel and sustainable, currently being tested by many developers in collaboration with major car manufacturers (for example Porsche, in collaboration with Enel, Siemens and some oil companies with the CO capture plant2 in Chile, where e-fuel will be produced).
This revolutionary fuel has also recently been used by some historical means during an important international meeting, with excellent results. It should be noted that currently the price of e-fuel is around €7 per litre.
The objective of the regulatory changes also concerns the reduction of consume: in 2026 single-seaters will complete the Grands Prix by consuming only 70 kg of fuelagainst 160 kg in 2013.
F1 Technical Regulations 2026 energy flows
In chapter 5.4, the F1 2026 technical regulation defines i power unit energy flowsaccording to the following scheme:
In addition, the following performance limits are defined:
- the energy flow provided by the fuel must not exceed 3,000 MJ/h (mega joule per hour)
- below 10,500 rpm, the energy flow provided by the fuel must not exceed the result of the formula EF (MJ/h) = 0.27 x N (N = rpm) + 165
- As mentioned above, the power of the electric motor of the MGU-K, or ERS-K (Energy Recovery System – Kinetic) when it acts as a generator, cannot exceed 350 kW.
- The power supplied by the electric motor will be limited according to the speed of the car, according to the rule P (kW) = 1850 x 5 V (V = car speed in km/h) when the speed is below 340 km/h. Above this speed, it will have to be limited to 150 kW.
- The difference between the maximum and minimum state of charge of the on-board batteries (ES, or Energy Storage) cannot exceed 4 MJ.
- The energy recovered by the ERS-K cannot exceed 9 MJ at each turn.
- The maximum torque of the MGU-K shall not exceed 500Nm.
- The MGU-K electric motor will only be able to provide traction at speeds above 50 km/h.
- The heat engine will be equipped, as with the current regulation, with a single turbocharger, with a maximum weight of 12 kg and a maximum rotation speed of 150,000 rpm, and the maximum air pressure in the intake manifold cannot exceed the 4.8 bars.
To better understand the extent of the energy flows set out above, it should be borne in mind that the combustion of a liter of petrol generates an energy of approx 34 MJ. And that 1 kWh equals 3.6 MJ.
F1 regulation 2026 active aerodynamics on the single-seater
In the objectives of the new technical standards of the F1 2026 regulation, the single-seaters must be smaller and lighterwith active aerodynamics to reduce drag, and interconnected to prevent accidents.
The head of technicians of the International Federation, Pat Symondsexplained in a recent interview that simply reducing aerodynamic drag and, consequently, the aerodynamic downforcewould lead to a decrease in fuel consumption, but with the downside that the cars would no longer have acceptable cornering grip.
So the choice of real active aerodynamics is mandatory. And there is talk of a much more sophisticated system than the current DRS, which simply opens the rear wing in a straight line to facilitate overtaking.
F1 2026 regulations new dimensions of the single-seater
On the other hand, as regards the dimensions of the single-seaters, after the first limit on the wheelbase of the cars – longitudinal distance between front and rear – introduced in 2022 and fixed at 3,600 mmthis measure will probably be significantly reduced in 2026.
Wheelbase reduction will also be made possible by decrease in tank capacityfavored by greater “hybridization” of the thrusters, as explained above.
Single-seater F1 2026 interconnected
As for theinterconnection between cars on the trackit is thought to implement a communication system on Formula 1 single-seaters that allows each single-seater to know the position of the other cars in the race, promptly notifying the drivers in case of accidents or vehicles stopped on the track.
The desired cost reduction it should allow, in the intentions of the Federation, the entry of new teams. For now it is certain the arrival of Audi in 2026.
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