The Volkswagen Group Board of Directors is expected to approve the entry of Porsche and Audi into Formula 1 from 2026, but the two manufacturers will have to act before then, the former joining Red Bull and its subsidiary Powertrains, and the brand with the four rings linking up with McLaren, which would give up Mercedes power units.
The arrival of Porsche and Audi at the Great Circus is conditional on the approval of the technical regulations that will dictate the design of the 2026 engines , which have two well-defined objectives: reduce costs by up to 50%, and reduce emissions to address towards clean carbon propellants with ecological fuels.
Formula 1, as a useful tool for the automobile industry to go down an alternative path with electric vehicles, has several difficulties for manufacturers to achieve these marks set for 2030.
Everything seemed that this was the date for the definitive step in the ecological transition, but some events, such as the war in Ukraine, are rapidly changing the scenarios of the general panorama of mobility.
That said, it should be noted that the German brands had set a condition for their entry into Formula 1, and it was the elimination of the MGU-H , that is, the electric generator of the engine that collects the energy of the turbo and transforms it into electricity. to store it in the battery.
Mercedes, Ferrari, Renault and Honda have spent astronomical sums of money for the development of this cargo concept that, however, has not been reflected in production cars, except in the Mercedes-AMG ONE , the hypercar presented at the Hall of the 2017 Frankfurt Automobile, and of which only 275 units have been manufactured, but which has never hit the roads because, five years later, deliveries have not yet begun.
For this reason, Porsche and Audi imposed the suppression of the MGU-H in the 2016 power unit, knowing that the new engines would have a much lower research cost, being able to enter F1 with a different technical design that would not benefit the manufacturers. that are already present.
Obviously, the president and CEO of Formula 1, Stefano Domenicali , has defended the cause, because the entry of two prestigious engine manufacturers could be the finishing touch of his management. So far so good, but the FIA World Council’s decision on the 2026 power unit regulations has been delayed.
Why? The reason is very simple, and it is that the Germans have demanded a drastic reduction in fuel consumption. There is talk of reducing it to between 70 and 75 kilos, compared to the 110 of gasoline they currently have.
The objective is quite a challenge, and it would push the brands to investigate endothermic engines with extraordinary efficiency (in the power bank of current engines they have exceeded 50%), which would collapse with consumption, but the unresolved issue is how can you get to a power unit of almost 1,000 hp with 35 kilos less fuel and without the MGU-H.
This is causing doubts among the CEOs of the affected manufacturers, since if the impact of the endothermic motor is reduced, 350 kW would be poorly equipped, something unthinkable, among other things, because it is still not clear how this gap is going to be compensated.
Therefore, it is not surprising that there has been a break in research. A decision will have to be made before June, but the feeling is that they still want to gain time.
One solution could be to increase the capacity of the batteries, and that is feasible, although the main drawback is weight, something that the current generation of single-seaters already suffers from, with a minimum of 798 kilos.
What if, in the end, the gain in time benefits the new builders? Is anyone afraid they’ll come up with an idea that follows in the footsteps of proven technologies in other categories by gaining a competitive advantage like Mercedes did with hybrid V6s in 2014?
