Rheinish

English translation

Mercedes is reportedly experiencing problems with fuel for its engines. Fuel partner Petronas is allegedly struggling with delays in the homologation of sustainable petrol. What does this mean for the start of the season in Melbourne?

Rarely has there been so much hype surrounding a Formula 1 team before the start of a season: even before the turn of the year, word leaked out that Mercedes had developed a clever trick for its combustion engine. In operation, the V6 turbo is said to achieve a compression ratio of 18:1. Since this season, however, the official limit, which is measured statically, has been 16:1. For weeks, opponents have been trying to get clarity from the FIA on this issue.

Before the start of the second Formula 1 test week in Bahrain (18 to 20 February), there is now the next controversy surrounding Mercedes. As our colleagues at ‘Motorsport.com’ have discovered, the Silver Arrows have a problem with fuel.

Supplier Petronas had not yet homologated its mixture around two weeks before the season opener in Melbourne (8 March). The regulations for approval have been drastically tightened this year. In the past, it was sufficient for fuel suppliers to send small samples for certification to a British laboratory belonging to the FIA. Approval was granted shortly afterwards and the fuel was homologated for the entire season.

Complex processes

Meanwhile, the British company Zemo is reviewing the process and granting homologation. It is no longer sufficient to send small samples to a laboratory. The entire manufacturing process is relevant for the certificate. And this is precisely where Petronas is said to be under pressure.

Zemo employees now travel to the production facilities and ensure that all criteria specified by the FIA are met. This also includes the certification of individual molecules supplied by partners involved in the production of the fuel. This complicates the entire process.

As part of the comprehensive rule changes for 2026, the fuel used in Formula 1 cars must now be 100 per cent sustainable. The premier class wants to continue reducing its carbon footprint. Formula 1 aims to achieve net greenhouse gas neutrality by 2030. The climate-neutral fuel used in the 22 racing cars accounts for a significant proportion of this.

Temporary solution?

If Petronas is unable to resolve the issue by Melbourne, another solution will have to be found. A total of four teams would be affected by the problem. In addition to the Mercedes works team, McLaren, Williams and, since this season, Alpine also use the power unit from Brixworth.

Formula 1 cannot afford to have eight cars unable to compete in the first race of the new era because the fuel is not homologated. As with the compression trick, they don't want to create a situation that would result in a significantly reduced starting field in Australia. A fiasco like Indianapolis 2005 – when only six cars started – is to be avoided. A temporary solution will probably be found. The only question is how the other engine manufacturers will react.

Conclusion

Mercedes' fuel manufacturer has reportedly not yet homologated its new fuel for the coming season. The certification processes for sustainable fuels have become significantly more stringent. If Petronas does not receive homologation by Melbourne, a temporary solution will have to be found.

Translated with DeepL.com

Zeropod flops at Mercedes

But the solution backfired. It didn't work with the complicated underbodies. Now the underbodies are much simpler in design. And Audi is making a second attempt with a modified concept. The small bump protruding from the panelling at cockpit level is the best indication of just how slim the R26 really is. This is where the side crash structure is located. Its position is mandatory for all cars.

However, Nico Hülkenberg's new company car is not quite as extreme as the old Mercedes. From above, you can see a small channel that directs air over the side pods to the diffuser. Another new feature is the cooling fins carved vertically into the bonnet. They prevent heat from building up under the tightly fitting carbon skin.

A version still in the 2025 budget

Many changes can also be seen on the nose and front wing. The dark contrasting adjustment mechanism used to retract the upper flaps on the straights is particularly striking. It was not yet present on the base car used in Barcelona.

For those who now fear that Audi has already used up its entire development budget for the 2026 season by building two completely different cars, we can give the all-clear. Binotto confirmed that the parts for the A version from the shakedown in Barcelona were all built last year and accordingly included in the budget cap. This leaves room for further upgrades.

The electric drive delivers plenty of power but very little energy under the new Formula 1 regulations. We do the maths and ask Lando Norris what this means for longitudinal dynamics and driving style. Spoiler: full throttle and braking are less popular, recuperation more so.

Nominally, the new Formula 1 regulations promised no decline in performance compared to the 1,000 hp in qualifying in 2025. Initial assessments by those involved even pointed to a slight increase in performance. Torque in particular could benefit from the new 50:50 distribution between combustion engines and electric motors in the power units: 300 per cent more power from the particularly high-torque electric motors could bring a significant increase in power.

The new regulations also started the 2026 season with advance praise: the cars look more aggressive, are smaller and lighter. This should make them more agile on the track and offer more action. In addition, the new active aerodynamics should make overtaking easier.

However, the first test laps in Barcelona raised doubts as to whether the new drive technology might require a few unattractive concessions: ‘We have to lift and coast even on qualifying runs,’ reports Esteban Ocon, for example, referring to the qualifying simulations that his Haas team ran in Barcelona, which took some getting used to. ‘It felt strange at first. But we had already practised it in the simulator. After one lap, I had got the hang of it. Now it feels strange not to do it. We use lift-and-coast so often that you quickly get used to it in your driving style,’ said the Frenchman.

New F1 drive: powerful but low on energy

‘Lift and coast’ is the name given to a driving style that saves fuel and protects the brakes. The driver lifts off the accelerator before the actual braking point (“lift”) and lets the car roll into the corner (‘coast’). This reduces fuel consumption and allows the brakes to cool down. With the new hybrid drives, however, the goal is not to save fuel, but to consume less energy from the battery – because even in qualifying, it is apparently not enough for full-throttle attacks up to the braking point.

A glance at the key data for the new power units explains the cause of the problem: although the new regulations allow the power of the electric drive to almost triple from 120 kW to 350 kW (476 hp), they do not allow for a higher battery storage capacity. It remains at a meagre 4 megajoules, which corresponds to 1.11 kWh. That is hardly more than the starter battery of a luxury diesel car can store. Its starter motor has an output of around 2 kW – so with the F1 battery, it could be operated for around 30 minutes.

The 350 kW engine of the Formula 1 drive, on the other hand, completely drains the mini battery in just over eleven seconds at full load. This is an outstanding discharge capacity for the battery – but not for long. This is because power is work or energy per unit of time – short times therefore increase the power in this fraction, but the amount of energy remains low for short times.

By way of comparison, the smallest battery for a VW ID.3 can store and release around 50 times as much energy as the F1 battery. In real-world driving conditions, the VW can travel around 350 kilometres with 150 kW of power. At a realistic cruising speed of 100 km/h, the compact car would be on the road for 3.5 hours until the battery is empty. Of course, driving at a steady 100 km/h is not very helpful for Formula 1. But eleven seconds is too short even for full-throttle driving, as you can see.

Where does the energy for the electric drive come from?

The power units in F1 are hybrid, but not plug-in hybrid drives. This means that the batteries cannot be charged with external energy during races. They can only be charged via recuperation while driving. Electric car drivers are familiar with this: unlike combustion engines, electric motors can recover kinetic energy.

The electric motor then acts as a generator, driven by the (still) rolling wheels, charging the battery during moments of coasting. The enormous (current) charging speed of the battery and the high power output of the motor help here – which, incidentally, is why most electric cars have higher performance values than comparable combustion engines, as this means that as little kinetic energy as possible is lost even at high speeds.

But just as quickly as the battery empties, it recharges during recuperation. If it is 100 per cent charged, it may not be able to absorb any more kinetic energy and will have to give up accordingly early on the next power demand.

As mentioned at the outset, Lift and Coast has also been used to protect the brakes. Road cars with electric drives also benefit from recuperation here. In everyday use, more than 90 percent of braking manoeuvres can be performed without pressing the pads against the brake disc in most models. Due to the dynamic axle load distribution, the front axle can absorb more recuperation energy – after all, it also carries the more powerful conventional brake.

However, Formula 1 cars with their rear-wheel drive do not recuperate on the front axle. This means that recuperation potential is also lost in the naturally dynamic driving style of the premier class of motorsport. This can only be compensated for with the combustion engine if it does not convert all its power into propulsion, but instead drives the electric motor, which then acts as a generator. From an energy perspective, this is complete nonsense. And it's not really a way to protect the brakes: the combustion engine needs fuel to charge the battery.

This is what Lando Norris has to say about the new technology

Reigning world champion Lando Norris explains how the new powertrain feels on the track and what it demands of the drivers. Regarding performance, he says: "When accelerating in third or fourth gear, if there is enough grip, it really pushes forward. If recuperation didn't start at some point on the straights, we would easily reach 380 km/h. So the cars could do much more."

As far as the size of the battery is concerned, he confirms the impact of the key data of the new power units: "We have a lot of electric power, but it doesn't last long. The question is where to best use the energy and where to best recuperate. In individual cases, it may be necessary to shift down before the end of the straight. We are still trying to figure out how to make the best use of the battery."

According to Norris, managing the low energy content of the small battery is likely to present drivers with exciting challenges: "It could lead to chaotic scenes, depending on where the drivers press the boost button. In Barcelona, there are many places where you don't use the battery at all. In turns 5 to 7, there is a short full-throttle section. If you activate boost power there, you can overtake another driver before turn 7. That wasn't possible before," explains the Englishman.

‘But then you're defenceless on the way to turn 10. As the driver behind, however, you can exert more pressure. That could lead to better racing. If you want to overtake, you always pay a price afterwards. The driver behind can then use additional energy. That could lead to a yo-yo effect, with the cars overtaking each other back and forth,’ the McLaren driver speculates about future racing.

What will the fans get to see?

Drivers may quickly adapt to the new requirements, and more overtaking manoeuvres sound appealing. However, the predictability of drivers' behaviour and manoeuvres could fall by the wayside.

Traditionalists will also point out that qualifying sessions are so spectacular precisely because everything is pushed to the limit on a single lap. The fact that drivers are now forced to lift off before the braking zones in order to save or recover electrical energy is likely to cause irritation, to say the least.

Conclusion

Recuperating instead of going full throttle, coasting instead of slamming on the brakes. The mini battery in the new power units could shake up the driving style and battle tactics of Formula 1 drivers. Fans may see more action and overtaking manoeuvres. But they may not be able to understand them so easily, as the tactics of energy recovery are (still) difficult to read on the track.

Translation by DeepL.com.