2026 engine regulations needed to attract manufacturers: 'Important point'

In 2026, Formula 1 will switch to new engine regulations. The current V6 engines have been in force in F1 since 2014, but soon that will change. Hywel Thomas, managing director of the Mercedes engine division, says it was very important that the new regulations attract more manufacturers.

Six engine manufacturers are signed up for 2026, two more than the current four. Honda and Audi will be new in 2026 and Red Bull will team up with Ford from then on. A key difference with the new engines is that the MGU-H will disappear. The MGU-H converts heat from the turbocharger into energy for the battery. This bothered many teams at the start of the turbo-hybrid era.

The new regulations are somewhat "simpler" than the old ones and therefore more interesting for new manufacturers. "2026 is a very different beast. The V6 section is actually very similar, although there are some changes in that, the biggest one being fuel flow is going to reduce and the fuel is going to change. We are removing the MGU-H, that's gone, and that was really seen as a blocker for new entrants. So by removing that, that sort of removed one of those reasons that new entrants couldn't come in, so that was an important point. The other side of it is the increase in the electrical system. So we're talking about 120-kilowatt MGU-K here, and we'll have a 350 kilowatt," said Thomas.