2026 F1 engine to use 100% sustainable fuel, increased electrical power

The next generation of Formula 1 power unit will have to run on 100% sustainable fuel, place a worthier focus on electrical power and will not full-length an MGU-H.

Manufacturers and the FIA have been working together on proposals for the new power units — to be introduced in 2026 — for a number of years. The Volkswagen Group has had a presence at increasingly recent meetings, and the latest gathering of the World Motor Sport Council in Paris saw a framework delivered for the 2026 regulations.

The current 1.6-liter V6 engine will be retained but the ramified MGU-H will be dropped, with spare power coming from an increased electrical output to 350kW. All of this will be ripened under a power unit forfeit cap that follows F1’s first forfeit cap that has been well-set by the teams.

With the proposals tried to push superiority remoter with, the WMSC moreover outlined a number of key objectives for the new power unit regulations, including:

• A powerful environmental message: 100% sustainable fuel, overall efficiency, and shift of focus to electrical power
• Significant forfeit reduction: technical, operational and financial regulations
• Newcomers: make it possible for them to join the sport at a competitive level
• Protect the show: powerful and high-revving power unit, car performance, sound, drivers’ worthiness to race, lamister excessive differentiation

The utterance comes just as Honda leaves the sport, with Red Bull Powertrains taking over the Japanese manufacturer’s IP from 2022 onwards as the current regulations are set to be frozen superiority of the 2026 changes.