when people talk about the new rules for 2026 i hear them say it’s gonna be an “engine formula” a lot. what does this mean?
FORMULA EXPLAINED - Part One
Engine Formula
When referencing the FIA's new set of rules & regulations for the 2026 season, you may hear people talking about something called "engine formula".
Engine Formula is all the parts that are put together to make the engine work like components and batteries.
The 2026 engine is to be a 50/50 split between internal combustion engine and electrical power, dropping the MGU-H (which i'll cover soon) and massively upping the MGU-K (which will also be covered soon) to a power output of 350kW or around 469bnp.
The current hybrid (engine) set-up includes the energy store, the V6 engine, the turbocharger, and two other components.
Said components are the MGU-H and the MGU-K. Let's start by focusing on:
MGU-H
Motor Generation Unit - Heat
The MGU-H is a compound of the hybrid-electric internal combustion engine. (this is literally just the name of the engine)
Its job is to convert heat energy from exhaust gas into electrical energy.
- Acts as an anti-lag system for the turbocharger.
MGU-K
Motor Generation Unit - Kinetic
The MGU-K is a kinetic energy recovery system connected to the crankshaft with the main task of converting kinetic energy into electrical energy. Much like the MGU-H but different.
- Kinetic energy is the energy an object has because of its motion.
- The crankshaft is another engine component. It is a piston that converts the linear motion generated by the engine into rotational motion. (in simpler words, it converts the vertical movement of the pistons into horizontal rotational movement which drives the wheels via the gearbox.)
For 2026 they plan on completely dropping the MGU-H system and upping the MGU-K system to have a significantly larger power output (as stated above). Removing the MGU-H is the most significant change being made to the engine as they are literally removing a whole component.
They are making this drastic change as they deemed it "too complex, with too little road relevance for manufacturers." - essentially, a bit too difficult for manufacturers (the people that make it) to understand completely how to make it, as they are more used to working on engines build for the roads. Hence "road relevance".
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That's a wrap for part one of "FORMULA EXPLAINED" by copythat!
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