“The electric is the future”
The words are from Koji Watanabe, head of HRC (Honda Racing Corporation), the division of the Japanese firm in charge of developing the technologies that their teams (and those that hire them) use in the competition. Yeah Formula 1 goes back To the V8 engines, they leave.
That is what the Japanese wanted to make clear. Right now, the company does not have an official car inside the championship but supply its engines to Red Bull. In 2026, They will do the same with Aston Martin And they have not ruled out having more customers for the future.
But his role in the historic competition can have an expiration date. It all depends on the direction of the sport. The FIA (International Automobile Federation) wants to back the path to the electrification that took formula 1 in 2014. Its bet: Back to Combustion Motors V8.
Some teams are for the work but others like Audi or Honda (this as supplier) do not want to hear about the matter.
And the dispute threatens to put the sport up.
“We didn’t come for this”
The first thing we have to know is what is the current situation. The 2026 season will be a year of changes, we will have new chassis in cars and new power units. These power units will finally be maintained as a hybridized turbo. Of course, the weight of the electrification will be greater and the fuel will have to be 100% sustainable from 2026.
This regulation should be in force until 2030. The problem is that since the arrival of the V6 Turbo hybridized in 2014 Fans have been complaining that something has died with The end of the V8 and V10. In 2021, despite everything, the regulations of these engines froze to prevent that Honda’s exit will leave Red Bull behind.
The background problem is that new engines are giving bad results in simulations. To the point that There is spoils slower than those of Formula 2. The reason is that electrification will become 45% of the total power that a car can deliver (it is currently in 20%) and it is even believed that in a circuit like Monza, the pilot would have to lift the foot at the end of line so as not to end the battery and run out of electrical power for much of what remains circuit.
That is especially important next year, since the electric motor will go from delivering a maximum of 120 kW (163 hp) to 350 kW (475 hp). Run without power electric at the end of a line is to be sold for the rest of the return with a very slow car.
The way of driving and understanding the car changes radically. “The engine changes completely when braking and curves to produce additional energy, directly feeding on the battery. Therefore, the engine assumes the task of a generator at specific times,” explains Hywel Thomas, responsible for the development of Mercedes engines to Auto Motor Und Sport. That is, at times, the car will act as a series hybrid.
That is why some manufacturers have long been moving threads to return the sport to larger engines and reduce the electric weight. He came to talk about returning to the V10whose devastating sound is iconic. Finally, they are pressure to return to the V8.
That movement has not liked Honda, who consider that “electrification is a fundamental element To move towards a sustainable future, “making it clear that they do not wait for them if this happens.
And he didn’t like Audi either. The company of the four hoops will have a car next year on the grill but the Germans say that ” Hybrid power units It was a key factor “for the company to launch into the pool. They have stressed that “the new regulation was planned for 2026 and beyond”. Returning to V8 is a setback for brand investments just over two years seen.
And his message was clear: the V8 “was not for what we came here.” A message that clashes frontally with a good part of the manufacturers. In Motorpasion They collected months ago Ferrari, Ford and Cadillac (Ford will supply Red Bull engines and Cadillac will have its own equipment) They already supported the idea of returning to the V10 engines. And, without committing, Mercedes launched the message in China that “we have an open mind. We are prepared for any engine.”
Everything this mess tells us about the industry
What is being played with the next big change of regulations is much further than simply, the engines that the cars will use in the competition.
It is no accident that Honda and Audi, firms that in their street cars are betting on the electrificationoppose the return of large V8 engines, in the worst stage for them, V10. Nor is it accidental that firms such as Ferrari, Ford and Cadillac support this second scenario. Or that Mercedes does not see him with bad eyes.
Already in 2023Christian Horner, Mandamás de Red Bull that recently has been firedhe said that “maybe we return to some V8 or V10 that are totally sustainable. It would be fantastic!” This supposed sustainability goes through the use of 100% synthetic fuels, an idea that would have to go hand in hand if you want to reduce the electrification volume.
The key here is that F1 is still seen as a laboratory. The jump to hybridization with the V6 Turbo was designed for manufacturers to explode what they learned with the MGU-H in its street vehicles. However, this component is really expensive and has barely had development out of the competition.
With this failure in mind, Ferrari, Ford and Cadillac press to return to the V8 engines. The Italian company aspires to Synthetic fuels are part of its essence in the future. And it also has in mind continue developing large engines combustion since they will allow you to continue selling outside Europe If approved regulations They are currently going forward.
In that strategy, the United States is key. Therefore, Ford and Cadillac are still betting on this type of engines. Total electrification advances very slowly on the other side of the puddle. Ford, in fact, aspires to have two clearly differentiated ranges. One of them will be of practical electric cars for day to day and markets such as Europe. The other want to continue being marked by large combustion engines.
For both Ford and Ferrari, continue developing these engines are part of a two -speed strategy. Electrified engines for pure combustion engines for those who can pay them. A way to sell more exclusivity within its range.
Mercedes also seems to see this idea with good eyes. Much more if we consider that The brand has received a rod In his first steps with the electric car. So much that in recent months they have launched messages in which they talk about developing combustion motors and Continue making investments.
For its part, Honda is getting good results in the United States with its hybrid engines and, although almost reluctant, Advance towards electrification total. Something similar happens to Audi that already advanced years ago that abandoned the development of combustion engines.
The fight for the future of Formula 1 It is not just a matter of image. It goes beyond Honda or Audi wanting to be associated with V8 or V10 engines again. Hundreds of millions of euros in investment are at stake. Because Formula 1 remains a laboratory with wheels. And that is not exactly cheap.
Photo | Audi and Ferrari
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