Here is why 2026 power unit energy will change the interaction between drivers and the pit wall
Hywel Thomas, managing director of Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains, has explained that the correct use of electrical energy will be crucial during races under the 2026 Formula 1 regulations. Teams will need to find the right tactical approach to ensure energy is available at the most critical moments.
One of the most frequently asked questions among Formula 1 insiders when discussing the 2026 technical and sporting regulations is the following: what will actually change next year compared to the now well-established ground-effect era?
Several components will remain largely the same, while others, such as the MGU-H, will disappear entirely, and some elements will undergo targeted modifications. Reading through the regulations, it already seems clear that the transition between the two technical eras will not be a full-scale revolution.
There will certainly be visible changes when looking at the new cars, but for those involved in design and development, the hardware of most components will not represent a dramatic upheaval. This is particularly true when it comes to the power units.
Hywel Thomas, the man responsible for Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains, explained that from a power unit perspective, the new regulations will not be a leap into the unknown.
“I think that, from a hardware point of view, it probably won’t be such a huge change compared to last year. When I think back to when we started talking about those regulations in the 2012–2013 period, you looked at them and thought: oh my God, there is stuff in here that we are really inventing. There was that electric turbo, with an electric motor spinning at over 100,000 revolutions per minute, and those things simply did not exist.”
“And we had to invent them. It was a truly massive effort and an incredible project. Lots of highs and lows along the way, but from a hardware perspective it was unbelievably difficult. I think that with this 2026 set of regulations, you can take any element within it. You can take the battery. You can take the 350-kilowatt electric motor. These things exist. Ok, they do not exist in a Formula 1 context. They do not exist in the right size, the right shape, but they exist. From that point of view, this set of regulations does not feel quite so big.”
While the physical form of many power unit components will not change dramatically, the situation is very different when it comes to how they are used by the driver. The energy provided by the MGU-K, on which the internal combustion engine will be able to rely, will be more limited than what has been available up to 2025. This will force teams and drivers into a different, and likely more intense, level of interaction than what has been seen up to the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the end of this season.
“What will definitely change with these regulations is the interaction with the driver, because of the electrical aspects. In general, we will be slightly limited by energy.”
“So it will be about working with the driver to make sure they have the right energy at the right moment, whether that is for defending, attacking, or going as fast as possible. And that will certainly require deep thought, both from the driver and from the engineers around them, to understand how to race and how to do it properly. And I think that is a bigger challenge than what we faced in a similar area back in 2013–2014.”
The interaction between the driver and the pit wall will change significantly due to the overboost that drivers will be able to use when they are less than one second behind the car ahead during the race. While the energy deployment of the leading car is reduced after 290 km/h, dropping to zero at 355 km/h, the following car will be able to benefit from a surplus of power generated by the MGU-K. It is worth remembering that the MGU-H will be banned starting next year. The MGU-K will provide 350 kW up to 337 km/h, with an additional 0.5 MJ of extra boost. However, energy management will be a key factor even earlier, particularly during sessions from Friday to Saturday.
“Potentially during races, but certainly before that, much more than we do now. And even now we think: wow, we are doing a good job. Wow, these guys regularly come and talk to us and engage with us. It’s great.”
“But I think next year there will be even more of this connection between the power unit, the energy, and the car. I mean, the whole system is so new. The way all of this is put together will require dozens of laps to really understand it and optimise it.”
When it comes to energy and power, Thomas expects performance levels to be broadly similar between the new cars and those that raced up to the end of the 2025 season. Electrical energy could be used to reduce turbo lag, but it will not be sufficient to sustain that advantage for long periods. This is why the two effects are expected to balance each other out.
“I think straight-line performance today will be very similar. What we could potentially gain from electric torque is, obviously, the other side, which is the fact that we have a turbocharger that no longer has an electric machine. So we could have a bit of turbo lag. At that point, we might think about compensating for the turbo lag with electrical energy. In terms of straight-line power, performance could be significantly higher than today. But we know that we will start reducing power earlier on the straight because we do not have enough electrical energy to use it all the time.”
In summary, while the 2026 power unit hardware evolves incrementally from current designs, the restricted electrical energy and new deployment rules will demand smarter strategic collaboration between drivers and engineers, potentially adding an exciting layer of tactical depth to every race weekend.
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