F1 2026 power unit regulations approved by the FIA

FIA

F1 2026 power unit regulations approved by the FIA

The door is now open for Porsche and Audi

Ewan Gale

Tuesday 16 August 2022 18:11 Updated: 00:43

The World Motor Sport Council has approved the 2026 F1 power unit regulations.

The regulations were due to have been set earlier this year but faced hurdles through teams needing to compromise on certain aspects of the regulations in order to provide the opportunity for new entrants.

The approval opens the door for both Porsche and Audi to join the sport in tandem with the regulations, which were submitted last week.

Article continues under video

The design for the regulations was given a four-point framework, aimed at maintaining F1's spectacle with high-performance, high-revving V6 internal combustion engines, whilst also using up to 50 per cent electrical power and 100 per cent sustainable fuel.

The attraction for new manufacturers was also ensured, as was the financial sustainability of the new regulations.

For ICEs, the MGU-H will be removed amongst other smaller components, with a heavy focus also introduced on the standardisation of parts including ignition coils and various sensors.

Energy Recovery Systems will become more road-relevant, with constraints introduced to improve the safety of the component.

Each driver will be allocated three ICEs, TCs and exhaust units and two each of ES and MGU-K components, though for 2026 only these numbers will be increased by one.

A cost cap has also come into place, with a cap of $95million for the period 2022 to 2025 and then an increase to $130million when the new regulations are implemented.

FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem said: "The FIA continues to push forward on innovation and sustainability – across our entire motorsport portfolio – the 2026 Formula 1 Power Unit Regulations are the most high-profile example of that mission.

“The introduction of advanced PU technology along with synthetic sustainable fuels aligns with our objective of delivering benefits for road car users and meeting our objective of net zero carbon by 2030. Formula 1 is currently enjoying immense growth and we are confident these Regulations will build on the excitement our 2022 changes have produced.

“I want to thank all of the FIA management and technical staff involved in this process for their diligence and commitment in working together with all of our Formula 1 stakeholders to deliver this. I also want to thank our WMSC members for their consideration and approval of these regulations.”