F1 2026 Regulations: What is the Energy Recovery System?

F1 2026 is seeing a plethora of regulation changes sweeping into the sport, both on the chassis side of things and through the new power units.

Although remaining a 1.6-litre V6 turbo hybrid as they have been since 2014, F1 power units have seen the emphasis on electrical energy tripled in 2026 - from 120kW to around 350kW - which means there is an almost exact 50/50 split between the battery and the internal combustion engine (ICE).

This means the energy recovery system (ERS) within the power units is even more important than it has been in previous years, and there is added responsibility on the drivers to manage their battery capacity.

The new ERS can harvest twice as much energy per lap as it could in 2025, helping to recharge the battery throughout the course of the lap. But what exactly is the energy recovery system, and how does it work?

F1 2026 Regulations: What has happened to the MGU-H?

What is ERS in F1?

The energy recovery system (ERS) is one of the components on the hybrid power unit that harvests wasted energy and uses it to recharge the battery.

F1 drivers are able to recover charge to their battery via a mixture of different ways (more on this later), and this energy gets stored in a lithium-ion battery pack.

This harvested energy can then be utilised via a 'boost button' on the drivers' steering wheel which, when pressed, gives drivers additional horsepower, with the power unit either returning to maximum power or a profile which has been configured by the team, allowing the car to utilise its full 450 horsepower.

How does ERS work?

The ERS consists of three main components: the control electronics (CE), the energy store (ES), and the motor generator unit - kinetic (MGU-K), which is arguably the most important component of the whole system.

F1 has waved goodbye to the motor generator unit - heat (MGU-H) which previously worked in tandem with the MGU-K but was expensive to produce and maintain, and didn't actually produce particularly big gains in power output.

The MGU-K, however, is the way in which the ERS is able to recover energy through the process of braking and accelerating.

When a driver brakes, the MGU-K acts as a generator, creating electricity as the car slows itself down. This excess electrical energy is then transferred to the energy store, where it is stored in a lithium-ion battery pack until it is needed.

The aforementioned control electrics manages energy flow, and converts the electrical energy from AC to DC power, to be used as the driver presses the boost button on their steering wheel.

There are four ways in which drivers are able to harvest energy through the MGU-K: braking, when racing on part throttle, lifting and coasting, as well as 'super clipping', which happens at the end of a straight when the car is at full throttle.

What are the changes to ERS in F1 2026?

Drivers in 2026 will be more keen to harvest energy throughout the course of the laps, with the electrical energy side of the power unit being worth so much more this year.

The ERS from 2026 onwards can recharge the battery with up to 9MJ (megajoules) per lap, doubling the previous capacity.

This offers drivers more opportunities to be able to utilise the car's full 450 horsepower, but only if they're cautious with their battery capacity.

Drivers will likely need to do more lifting and coasting without the presence of the MGU-H, and this may even be the case during a single qualifying lap as they try to utilise their boost mode on the straights.

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