Here you go guys, the reason why we love and respect Honda's contributions to F1 AND to the betterment of our world.
Honda has released an in depth view into its F1 power unit operations between 2015-2022 with a focus on in-house fuel development toward CNF, how it developed it's rapid combustion, negative pressure pulsation tuning, and adiabatic expansion as well as many other technologies to improve efficiency. We also get a look into 2026 from the various articles linked from these published articles.
Rapid combustion
・High-tumble ports to increase turbulent flow energy
・High fuel pressure to increase atomization
・Injector spray tuning to achieve a uniform air-fuel mixture within the cylinders
・Piston crown shape tuning (recess and bowl depth)
Knocking resistance improvement (reduced compression end temperature within cylinders)
・Reduced intake air resistance (branch and port shapes)
・Optimized valve timing
・Negative pressure tuning with variable induction system (VIS)
Combustion efficiency improvement
・Lean-burn control to improve efficiency
・Reduced fuel adhesion to reduce loss due to unburnt fuel (optimized injector spray)
・Improved scavenging (valve timing)
Fuel development
・Higher calorific value
・Improved knocking resistance (fuel property changes and additives)
Control optimization
・Cylinder pressure sensors (CPS) to control knocking
・Exhaust pressure control (using MGU-H)
With the RA617H in 2017, injector position was changed again, but to the exhaust valve side this time. This position was chosen because it was found that injecting fuel in the opposite direction to the flow of air from the open intake valve actually increased homogeneity of the air-fuel mixture.
https://global.honda/en/tech/motorsport ... ain_e-fuel
On May 24, 2023, Honda agreed to participate in F1 from 2026 and to enter into a works partnership with the Aston Martin F1 team to supply power units compliant with new regulations that will take effect from 2026.
Having committed to being carbon neutral from 2030, F1 will require participants to use 100% carbon neutral fuel (CNF) from 2026. It will also significantly expand the electrification rate. As of 2024, it allows 83% of maximum output generated by the power unit to come from the engine, with the remaining 17% coming from the motor (MGU-K), but the 2026 regulations will require 50% of output from the engine and 50% from the motor.
Specifically, this means lowering the cap on fuel flow and otherwise reducing engine output while dramatically increasing output from the MGU-K to 350 kW, or roughly three times its current output. At the same time, the configuration will be simplified to eliminate the MGU-H. These changes in regulations are consistent with the direction Honda has been taking toward the realization of carbon neutrality, giving profound significance to the development of future technologies to realize these goals. Therefore, Honda made the decision to take on a new challenge in F1 racing.
In general, CNF tends to be more difficult to vaporize than traditional fuels, so it is important to collaborate with fuel manufacturers to try and develop fuels that more readily vaporize. On the other hand, there is also a need to develop engines that facilitate combustion of fuels that are difficult to vaporize. On the hardware side, large output MGU-Ks change a car’s vibration profile, so it is essential to ensure reliability to withstand the change. With the larger amounts of energy repeatedly stored in the ES and then used, development needs to focus on minimizing degradation of performance. With elimination of the MGU-H, highly efficient and effective energy management systems must also be developed when relying on the MGU-K alone.
With power unit development being frozen from 2022, development is now limited to reliability improvements. Under these conditions, Honda is contributing to improved performance for the teams it supplies by raising the limits of its power units and maximizing their potential while maintaining reliability. Concurrently with these activities, it is quietly developing a new power unit for launch in 2026.
https://global.honda/en/tech/motorsport ... =Formula-1
