Formula 1 is currently defining what its next engine will look like, with the current 1.6-liter hybrid V6 engines being retired at the end of the 2024 season.
This unit was introduced back in 2014 and increased the amount of electrical energy compared to the much simpler KERS system that was introduced in 2009.
Unsurprisingly, the electrical energy will continue to be included in the next generation genset. Mercedes F1 boss Toto Wolff describes the role that she will play as “massively increased”.
The 2025 engine won’t be as big a change as it was in previous era, like jumping from V10 to V8 and then to today’s V6. With a great focus on cost savings, the fuel bundle is likely to stay the same.
However, the expensive and complex MGU-H will almost certainly be eliminated. Instead, the MGU-K will likely be much more powerful, with larger batteries to store more energy.
On the Saturday before the Austrian Grand Prix, representatives of the current F1 suppliers Mercedes, Ferrari and Renault – as well as Red Bull Powertrains – from Audi and Porsche of the VW Group discussed what the future engine should look like.
Wolff, who spoke at the FIA conference in Monaco on Monday, expanded on what was discussed, although the details are still sparse.
“The discussion was ‘What will we do with motors in the future?’ Because we want to save costs, so don’t want to reinvent the wheel,” he is quoted by Autosport.
“But we also want an engine that is relevant from 2025 to 2030, and we can’t be old gasoline heads with screeching engines when all of us expect us to be electric.
“So these engines are still being refueled. We are sticking to the current V6 format, but the electric share will increase massively. “
Switch to sustainable fuels
Formula 1 will switch to 100 percent sustainable fuels in order to strengthen its environmental image and to keep up with the times, a decision Wolf says motivated by the fact that internal combustion engines will be around for a very long time.
“We’re sticking to the internal combustion engine because we believe that fuel will be with us for a long time to come.
“In Europe we may have ambitious goals to have electric mobility as part of our daily life by 2030 and I see how ambitious the goals are at Mercedes, but in the rest of the world we will have millions of vehicles that would do that” still drive on fuel.
“For Mercedes cars, we assume that we will have several million vehicles around the world that will still run on fuel. So what we can do with our innovation is to help them develop sustainable fuels: be it biofuels or synthetic fuels.
“Our cars will run 100 percent on sustainable fuels by 2025, so we will help reduce the world’s CO2 emissions.”
A switch to 100 percent electric drive was ruled out due to an exclusive agreement between the FIA and Formula E, and the hydrogen drive was also rejected.
The post The 2025 engine of the F1 will have a “massively increased” electrical output – Motorsport Week first appeared on monter-une-startup.
