Home F1 FIA expands further on 2026 power unit regulations after latest meet

FIA expands further on 2026 power unit regulations after latest meet

17/08/2022

The FIA released further details regarding the 2026 power unit regulations where MGU-H will be banned from usage among other things.

The FIA World Motor Sport Council met on Tuesday to discuss some crucial points regarding the technical regulations for 2022 and 2023 along with power unit details for 2026 and beyond. The former dealt with the issue of porpoising mainly.

They did add about roll hoop too after the Silverstone crash. The latter was detailing how the power unit regulations will look like from 2026 onward. As known, the V6 1.6L Hybrid formula will remain on despite the talks of future being ‘electric’.

The fuel situation will be 100% sustainable fuel with no use of fossil fuel. Also, the fuel flow rate to the engine will be limited by energy, not mass or volume. The rate will be reduced though, with the power output target of approximately 400kW.

Regarding the Internal Combustion Engine, a lot of standardisation is to happen to achieve cost reduction where the key factors are as follows:

The MGUH will be removed.
Variable trumpets and their actuation and control systems will be removed.
Limited ranges to key dimensions are defined (for example piston, crank, block, valves,
injector position, turbocharger wheels).
Overall PU element legality volumes are now more precisely defined.
Material limitations have been extended to exclude many high-cost options.
Extension of standardisation of components or of their design features (injector, knock
sensor, ignition coils, ‘powerbox’, torque/temperature/pressure sensors).
The supply perimeter has been extended to ensure parts such as exhaust systems and ancillaries must be designed for a complete PU life resulting in a significant cost saving over a season. An upgrade and homologation schedule has been defined to control development and changes of specification between years.

With MGU-H gone, the Energy Recovery System is likely to play a larger role, where the power is to be increased to 350kW. There is also the aim to increase the road-relevance of the cells, power electronics and MGU-K, and increase the safety of ERS system.

In terms of usage, drivers will be able to use 3x of ICE/TC/Exhaust units and 2x of ERS/MGU-K, but for 2026 – that is the first year of the regulations – each unit will be increase by one considering the parts will be brand new and un-tested in race trim.

The power unit cost cap is to be regulated as well, with the current period (adjusted for Indexation) is set at 95 USD MM until 2025. It will be increased to 130 USD MM from 2026 onward, but several cost will be excluded from this list, they are: