After Honda announced its exit from the category in October 2020, Red Bull’s top adviser, Helmut Marko , insistently pressed the FIA for the freezing of engine development in Formula 1 to become a reality from from 2021, a move he made at the time with the future of Red Bull Powertrains in mind.
However, from the moment of the request to the present moment, the situation has changed so much that a few years ago it was confirmed that the engines that Red Bull and AlphaTauri will use will continue to arrive from Japan until at least 2025. In addition, Honda has worked on the engine from 2022 to adapt it to the new E10 fuel and update it for the last time.
There will be no more performance improvements, only reliability
This March 1, some of the limitations that refer to the improvement of the performance of the power unit have come into force. Some elements of the engine have been frozen until 2026, at which time the new engine regulations will arrive with the disappearance of the MGH-H.
As for the current restrictions, the FIA has pointed them out in the technical regulations. As the table at the end shows, motorists were only allowed one upgrade for each component in 2022. In the case of the internal combustion engine, turbocharger, MGU-H and exhaust systems, that upgrade had to be approved. before March 1.
Today, these components, as well as the fuel mixture and engine oil, are already approved.
For the MGU-K, which converts heat from braking into energy, and the battery, the homologation date is September 1, 2022. This means engine builders can still upgrade these parts for performance before homologation. date.
In the case of already frozen parts, the teams will not be able to work to improve their performance until the 2025 season. They will only be able to modify them to solve a reliability problem, although for this the supplier will have to meticulously demonstrate that said problem exists and that they will not obtain others. benefits with the changes.
The FIA can also make an exception in some cases, as explained in Appendix 5.4, which explains that minimal interventions in the wiring and relocation of the turbocharger will be allowed, with a margin of 20 millimeters.
Which parts can F1 motorists continue to develop and which have been frozen?
|
Power unit elements |
Updates allowed in 2022 |
update limit |
Updates allowed between 2023 and 2025 |
|
combustion engine |
1 |
1-March |
0 |
|
turbocharger |
1 |
1-March |
0 |
|
MGU-H generating unit |
1 |
1-March |
0 |
|
MGU-K generating unit |
1 |
1-September |
0 |
|
Energy storage (battery) |
1 |
1-September |
0 |
|
electronic switchboard |
1 |
1-September |
0 |
|
leaks |
1 |
1-March |
0 |
|
Gasoline |
1 |
1-March |
0 |
|
engine oil |
1 |
1-March |
0 |
