2025/2026 Hybrid Powerunit speculation

[sticktion]

But if all the cars have similar(ish) performance it will not be very noticeable. If you watch races from when they only had 700 HP it is just as interesting because it is comparative car v car.

[...]
Another thing to consider is it'll probably be impossible to defend a position for long. If you over a few laps save just a bit more energy by using DRS you will then have so much more power available a simple fly-by is guaranteed.

The new regs carry over the same tiny 4MJ SOC delta, and I seriously doubt they're aiming to keep DRS for 2026. It's more likely they'll have the opposite problem: the only time to save energy without affecting laptime would be during slipstreaming, and with only a couple corners to do so before hitting ES cap.

The counter to Big Tea here is that cars only weighed ~600kg back then. The 2017 laptime improvements were easily visible to the naked eye watching one car alone, and 700hp/800kg cars will feel impossibly slow coming off the aero optimized '25 cars.

[noname]

Turbocompounding, mechanical or electrical, remains a rarity. Seen in some World War aircraft, a helicopter, F1 cars, and... nowhere else? Gains:cost ratio must be a factor, as well OEMs currently gearing toward overall lower build cost powertrains such as BEV (less incentive to tweak the last 10% of BTE on ICEs). By switching to MGUK only, F1 get to keep their fuel capacity and flow rate claims, and may start using an mpg or km/l delta to previous seasons as their marketing metrics, while dropping the % thermal efficiency claim. Thermal efficiency may fall but so will fuel consumption. I assume FIA/FOM(?) have done their homework and this balance of 60/40 ICE/EV power represents the current minimum feasible (for F1 industry) ICE size and maximum feasible ES size to maintain familiar laptimes.

"Turbocompounding" (in a way similar to what we see in F1) works well in heavy-duty applications (like F1), does not make sense in (light duty) passenger car.

BTW, compounding is being used in some commercial diesels (i.e. by Volvo D13TC engine), and there is more designs in the pipeline.

[.poz]

But if all the cars have similar(ish) performance it will not be very noticeable. If you watch races from when they only had 700 HP it is just as interesting because it is comparative car v car. The only difference probably wil be on the stopwatch which is not really relevant, except against each other

the McLaren MP4/5 has 865 hp but weight 500kg

[Stu]

Are we going to see a "GP2 engine" F1 ?

73 kg/h of fuel
4.8 bar turbo
16:1 compression ratio

How are they going to charge the battery ? Energy harvesting under braking is now unlimited but AFAIK on some tracks will be impossible to charge the battery enough. Are we going to see FE style tracks ?

It will drive them to use the KERS tactically (basically a push-to-pass system). The drivers will have to plan deployment and DRS to get a pass done. It might make things even more interesting, reducing DRS trains to a minimum.

[Cold Fussion]

If they could sort it out it might be compelling. Hydrocarbon fuel energy density + electric motor p:w ratio

The problem is the volumetric density is appalling. Hydrogen at 750 bar is ~42kg/m3, so if they need roughly 110kg of fuel to complete a race now, they would need roughly 34kg of hydrogen for a fuel cell with a 60% efficiency vs a 50% efficiency PU currently, which means you need a roughly 800L tank of hydrogen to complete the race, which would be a packaging nightmare.

[vorticism]

Note -carbon suffix.

[CaribouBread]

It will drive them to use the KERS tactically (basically a push-to-pass system). The drivers will have to plan deployment and DRS to get a pass done. It might make things even more interesting, reducing DRS trains to a minimum.

There's a pretty popular sentiment that DRS passes aren't exciting or rewarding currently, now imagine an overtake with a >300hp delta + DRS. It would be downright comical.

[wuzak]

But if all the cars have similar(ish) performance it will not be very noticeable. If you watch races from when they only had 700 HP it is just as interesting because it is comparative car v car. The only difference probably wil be on the stopwatch which is not really relevant, except against each other

the McLaren MP4/5 has 865 hp but weight 500kg

The MP4/5 had ~700hp, and the weight was without driver.

The MP4/3, on the other hand, had !850hp for a weight of 540kg.

[wuzak]

The new regs carry over the same tiny 4MJ SOC delta,

That would make some sense, as they won't be able to recover that amount at most tracks anyway.

[Zynerji]

The new regs carry over the same tiny 4MJ SOC delta,

That would make some sense, as they won't be able to recover that amount at most tracks anyway.

Time for AWD KERS then?

[vorticism]

Depends on motor braking : friction braking balance. Tripling of MGUK size and f:r brake balance need to be accounted for. Is there a source for the 4 MJ carry over? Details posted thus far were sparse.

[Cs98]

The new regs carry over the same tiny 4MJ SOC delta,

That would make some sense, as they won't be able to recover that amount at most tracks anyway.

There must be a reason why they set the allowed regen as high as 9MJ. No reason to have it that high if you can't even get 4MJ/lap.

And the 4MJ SoC delta isn't that bad if you account for the increased regen during the lap.

[johnny comelately]

The new regs carry over the same tiny 4MJ SOC delta,

That would make some sense, as they won't be able to recover that amount at most tracks anyway.

There must be a reason why they set the allowed regen as high as 9MJ. No reason to have it that high if you can't even get 4MJ/lap.

And the 4MJ SoC delta isn't that bad if you account for the increased regen during the lap.

Having been following this electrical side, but, front wheels?

[Cs98]

Depends on motor braking : friction braking balance. Tripling of MGUK size and f:r brake balance need to be accounted for. Is there a source for the 4 MJ carry over? Details posted thus far were sparse.

Folks, the 2026 engine regs are literally posted on the FIA's page. This isn't 2005.

[Cs98]

That would make some sense, as they won't be able to recover that amount at most tracks anyway.

There must be a reason why they set the allowed regen as high as 9MJ. No reason to have it that high if you can't even get 4MJ/lap.

And the 4MJ SoC delta isn't that bad if you account for the increased regen during the lap.

Having been following this electrical side, but, front wheels?

Doubt it, just maximizing regen at the rear, basically no rear brakes.