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The main fear of the F1 2026 engine revealed by the worried Adrian Newey

The main fear of the F1 2026 engine revealed by the worried Adrian Newey

Adrian Newey believes that the change in the F1 2026 regulations can make Formula 1 a series dictated by the engine formula.

Formula 1 changes its regulations for the 2026 season, completely changing the regulations regarding both the power unit and the chassis.

Adrian Newey: The dominant internal combustion engine could dominate the entire series of rules

For the first time in Formula 1, new regulations were created around the regulations regarding the engine regarding changes in the upcoming season.

Although the architecture of the 1.6-liter V6 engine will remain unchanged, MGU-H has been removed, and focusing on increased electrification and introduction of synthetic fuels is the promise of a completely new engineering challenge for engine manufacturers.

In internal combustion engines (ICE), the power will be reduced by about a third, and the electric power will be almost three times higher – this means that the peak performance of power units will be higher than today, but it will not be available for so long.

Due to the various power curves, the chassis regulations were written around the power unit. This means a completely different project, because current cars produce too much resistance to be able to optimize new power units – they would simply slow down due to resistance at the end of the straight.

The balance between ICE and electricity will be close to 50/50, because F1 intends to continue to strive for a greater sustainable development and achieving the goal of zero network emission of net dioxide by 2030.

The chassis will be equipped with active aerodynamics to maximize the potential of the engine, while the “X” and “Z” modes will start to work to create pressure where it is needed, while reducing the resistance to straight. The goal is to ensure that new cars can overcome the lap of a typical Grand Prix track in less than current machines.

The upcoming regulations, however, raise some concerns to teams, especially if the engine manufacturer manages to understand the new rules to a much greater extent than its rivals. It happened during the last change of the engine formula, when in 2014 hybrid engines were first introduced – the Mercedes drive units were simply light years before all others, and others took years to compensate for the difference.

One of the known names that express their fears is Adrian Newey, Aston MartinNew managing the company’s technical partner.

“I think there must be a good chance that it would be a formula of the engine at the beginning,” Germany told the company Automotive and sport.

“The reality is that I do not remember another time in Formula 1, when both the chassis regulations and the engine regulations changed simultaneously and in this case the chassis regulations were written largely to compensate for the provisions regarding power units. So this is an additional dimension. “

Newey, during his work in Red Bull, was annoyed by the fact that his otherwise competitive car designs were inhibited by the weaker Renault engine in 2014–18, and believes that all engine manufacturers will be careful in relation to the scenario of reduced competition due to the scenario For one of them: far before the rest.

In his opinion, the problem will be particularly important if the advantage is associated with the ICE engine – in the heart of engine architecture. If one project turns out to be much better, Newey believes that this may mean the years of the dominance of this manufacturer.

“I think that engine manufacturers have drawn conclusions because of the lack of preparation that Mercedes’ rivals experienced before this change,” he said.

“However, there must be a chance that one manufacturer will go out and regulate, at least at the beginning, dominated by power units.

“And there is a chance that if it is on the side of the internal combustion engine, then someone will invent the dominant combustion engine that will survive the entire formula, because the way the regulations are written is quite difficult for people who behind them to catch up . When it comes to electrics, there is a much greater possibility of catching up if you are behind. “

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As for the extent to what extent the advantage of the chassis and good aerodynamics can compensate for the weak engine, Newey said it was too early for even his specialist knowledge to be able to calculate it.

“Because I haven’t really appeared in Formula 1 since the end of April, so I don’t have detailed knowledge about the new regulations,” he said, after a few months of gardening in Red Bull Formula 1, he will leave work in Aston Martin in May 2024. March.

“Of course, the provisions regarding the power unit have not been in force for some time, but when it comes to the chassis, aerodynamics and the dynamics of the vehicle, I don’t have much knowledge. So when I start, it will be a quick learning. “

The long -time technical director said 12 months ago that Newey left Red Bull Red Bull after almost 20 years of working in a team with Milton Keynes and could not imagine changing his career.

“If you told me 12 months ago if I would leave Red Bull, and then I would start again, I would answer:” No, you went crazy “.

“But for various reasons I felt that I would not be faithful to myself if I stayed in Red Bull. So the first difficult decision was just that. Will I stay in Red Bull or not?

“Of course, I came to the conclusion that I can’t be honest with myself. And when I made this decision, we thought what to do next. “

Read further: The Red Bull’s decision in the Tsunody caused the question “why keep him nearby.”