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We’re not even a full year into the new regulations, and Formula 1 is already thinking hard about its next iteration, set to be introduced as early as the start of 2030. This was supposed to be a big year for F1, with the introduction of a bold new technical rules package that puts far more emphasis on the electric side of the cars’ hybrid power units than before. But those rules were perhaps too ambitious for 2026, with batteries that can only power the electric motor for a tiny fraction of a lap. Such was the shock of getting it wrong that F1 may fast-track a fix for 2030 rather than 2031, when the next set of rules is currently set to start. And according to a report in Autosport, there is now some agreement on what those power units will look like. Where are we now? The current rules were finalized several years ago, when optimism about electrification among automakers was high. F1 wanted more of those automakers, and automakers wanted more electrification. The sport would give it to them with a near 50:50 split between a small 1.6 L V6 turbo and an electric motor, both driving the rear wheels. The idea worked. Audi, Cadillac, and Ford have all signed up since, joining Mercedes, Ferrari, and Honda, which recommitted after pulling out in 2021. But an F1 car is of limited size, and energy density is such that the 4 MJ (1.1 kWh) battery can last maybe 11 or 12 seconds at full throttle. Meanwhile, even the shortest lap time recorded in 2026, during qualifying in Austria, took George Russell 1 minute and 6.113 seconds from start to finish. So one can see the issue. Even allowing for regenerating energy under braking, many of F1’s most classic venues lack sufficient brake zones to recharge more than a fraction of the energy demand of an entire lap. Adding a front electric motor would have made the cars more efficient and allowed them to recapture more energy under braking. But the existing power unit manufacturers allegedly feared new entrant Audi’s expertise with all-wheel drive hybrids and blocked the idea.
document fetched 2026-09-25 02:58 · canonical https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/09/formula-1-looks-at-3-0-l-v8-turbos-and-smaller-hybrids-for-2030