How F1 2026’s new PU limits could create early performance gaps

F1’s move to adjust energy deployment levels at different circuits could, in theory, prove to be a performance differentiator in the early stages of the new hybrid rules.

The move to power units with extra electrification next year has thrown up some hurdles to overcome to ensure natural driving behaviours, and some of the measures taken to mitigate them could yet prove to differentiate the power unit manufacturers.

Managing F1 2026’s energy deployment transparently

The move to new hybrid power units for F1 2026 has seen the ratio of electrification relative to combustion power output increase close to 50/50, with the combustion engine providing 400kW and the hybrid components delivering 350kW.

However, at circuits where it’s more difficult to harvest energy via braking, there have been fears that drivers could be forced into unnatural driving techniques, such as lifting off down the straights, in order to generate more energy.

Earlier this year, a rejected proposal aimed at mitigation was to alter the ratio to reduce the electrical output and reduce this demand, but another idea has since emerged and been implemented into the regulations to ensure excessive harvesting strategies aren’t required.

Section C5.2.10 of the 2026 technical regulations will dictate that the ERS-K must not exceed 8.5MJ of electrical energy harvesting per lap, with this limit reduced to 8MJ at competitions where the FIA determines the maximum possible energy harvested per lap under braking and in partial load is no more than 8MJ.

This limit can be further reduced to a maximum of 5MJ for Sprint Qualifying and Qualifying sessions at tracks where the aforementioned excessive harvesting strategies could be needed – think fast circuits with minimal braking, such as Saudi Arabia’s Jeddah Corniche, or Italy’s Monza.

The tweaking of energy harvesting and deployment rates at different circuits might appear somewhat complicated, but the FIA’s Nikolas Tombazis believes it will be relatively straightforward to make it clear to the watching public what revisions are in place from race to race, if the default 8.5MJ position isn’t in use.

“[It will be] completely transparent,” Tombazis told PlanetF1.com in an exclusive interview over the Italian Grand Prix.

“We’re also working on how to make sure that there’s a simple message, let’s say, so that the public can understand what’s happening in the same way they understand what’s happening with the ERS.

“We don’t want to make it necessary to have a PhD in engineering or something to watch a Grand Prix; we still want it to be very accessible to everybody.”

While the energy harvesting and deployment rates can be capped, depending on the circuit, Tombazis explained that there is a possibility that, in the early days of the new engine formula at least, the optimisation of these systems at different cap rates could be a performance differentiator between the manufacturers.

“There’s certainly a possibility that, in the early times, they may not get it fully right from the word go, and that they may run in a sub-optimal manner initially,” he said.

“But to change the way you deploy the energy is a relatively straightforward process.

“You don’t need to redesign your whole car. You don’t need to redesign your whole electrical unit. The electrical units all have the same maximum power, similar capacity batteries, and so on.

“So, if you then use it in a slightly different way, it’s more software-related and less, let’s say, hardware design, if you want. Yes, I’m sure there will be people who don’t fully understand everything initially who will analyse their competitors and learn a bit better, and then, maybe two races down the line, may improve.”

As for any potential ratio changes between ICE and electrical, as had been proposed early this year, Tombazis ruled out any further discussion on the topic.

“The combustion, of course, can’t change at all,” he said.

“There was never any talk about completely changing the balances. How you deploy the electrical energy is subject to regulation, and there’s a huge amount of detail in the regulations about the deployment of electrical energy.

“Whether at some circuits and in some conditions, you would be able to go initially to the maximum power or a lower amount was something that was discussed. It remains an option in the future if cars behave in a certain way.”

More on the F1 2026 regulations

👉 Explained: The 2026 engine regulations set to seriously shake up Formula 1

👉 F1 2026: Confirmed teams and power unit suppliers for F1’s huge regulation changes

F1 2026’s override system as a ‘push-to-pass’

F1’s new overtaking aid utilises the electrical deployment of the engine, coming into effect at high speeds as drivers can utilise the whole 350kW of potential from the hybrid ancillaries.

While driving normally, the power output from the ERS-K is set to taper off approaching top speeds.

In order to give drivers a weapon in battle, the F1 2026 cars will have a manual override system that will allow them to access more of the energy left in the battery.

When the manual override is activated, the ERS-K will keep deploying the full 350kW, although the full details on how this will work are yet to be ratified.

What is clear, though, is that drivers can’t use it freely, as Tombazis explained that, like DRS, the override can only be used in certain scenarios.

“It is more zone restricted and related to following another car and being within a certain distance, and so on,” he said.

When DRS was first introduced in 2011, the FIA frequently made tweaks and revisions to the usable zones as the governing body figured out how to most effectively use the overtaking aid, but Tombazis believes similar tweaking won’t be needed next year.

“I think we have reasonable capabilities on simulations, and we can get pretty close to it right from the start,” he said.

“The teams need to know certain things before a race weekend, and we can’t just change on Friday or Saturday, unless there’s ever any safety matter, in which case, of course, we could intervene.

“So I think, from the simulations, we have a reasonable understanding of how these things work.

“Our objective is not to make overtaking impossible, and, on the other hand, we don’t want to make it too easy.

“We want overtaking to still remain primarily a battle that takes place, entering a corner, and where people are actually fighting. We don’t want cars to drive past each other as if they are on the motorway or something like that.”

Additional reporting by Matt Somerfield.

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