At the moment, Formula 1 and the FIA are discussing with current and potential motorists the last ins and outs of what will be the next power unit rules, which are expected to come into force in the 2026 season.
However, and as collateral damage, this roadmap has caused very important changes that will directly affect this 2022, and especially the next campaigns.
During the course of this year, the engines will be completely frozen in terms of performance, although it should be clarified that the manufacturers will be able to make reliability updates, as long as they demonstrate to the FIA that it is something necessary and that it will not have an impact on power. .
On March 1, some elements of the propellant such as the combustion engine, the turbo, the MGU-H, the exhausts, the gasoline and the engine oil entered the freezing phase until at least the end of 2025, while the MGU -K, the battery and the electronic engine control unit can still be updated as long as the homologation date is set completely officially before September 1, 2022.
For this reason, practically all the motorcyclists, and especially Ferrari and Renault , who finished last season with a disadvantage compared to Mercedes and Honda , made the decision to make a radical change in their power units and build a new engine practically from scratch. that allows them to express their maximum power during the coming years.
However, doing so carries great risk. If hybrid V6 engines have shown us anything since they came into force in 2014, it is that they are extremely complex, so hitting the first chance with such a large modification is not easy, neither in terms of reliability nor in terms of to performance.
The fact of making a mistake that could harm performance, above all, could be crucial for any of the four motorcyclists in the highest category, since it would create a ballast that could not be solved until at least 2026, so that could clearly compromise the next four seasons of its client teams with all that this entails.
From an overview, Renault with Alpine and Ferrari with their own team, Alfa Romeo and Haas, would be the ones in greatest danger at the moment of suffering from this problem and putting their next courses in Formula 1 in check.
If this were to happen, the impact this could have on these teams is enormous. For example, the drivers will surely not want to be in a team where they know almost with total certainty that they will not be able to aspire to anything for the next three or four years and, even more important financially, some sponsors could also say goodbye to these equipment.
