Twin throttle bodies?
Benefits of a a pair of very low profile plenum chambers with no individual cylinder throttle control?
Allowing intercooler to be mounted above engine and rear (bell-housing?) mounted turbo?
AFAIK the split turbo set-up is no longer allowed and no requirement for MGU-H to conveniently mount within the V leaves quite a bit of volume available, would also allow for centreline intercooler and low engine cover height.
Twin throttle bodies?
Benefits of a a pair of very low profile plenum chambers with no individual cylinder throttle control?
Allowing intercooler to be mounted above engine and rear (bell-housing?) mounted turbo?
AFAIK the split turbo set-up is no longer allowed and no requirement for MGU-H to conveniently mount within the V leaves quite a bit of volume available, would also allow for centreline intercooler and low engine cover height.
Just guessing!!!
Sounds reasonable to me. They'll definitely cram as much into that area now that the H is no longer there.
First photo of the Honda released by them on Twitter
Maybe, they're just greeblies.
Re: 2025/2026 Hybrid Powerunit speculation
Posted: 09 Jan 2026, 18:49
by vorticism
Looks like two throttle bodies given that there are pivots intersecting them. There is a third charge pipe cover (gold colored) low at the front (could be one of two), which would presumably be arriving through the vee from the compressor. Brighten the photo and it's more visible. I had been wondering how long the inlet stacks would be sans VLIM. The answer here seems to be: very short. These could just be early development parts, so who knows. As for two throttles vs six: reduced pumping losses? I'd say a water-air intercooler could fit between these parts, otherwise, something else I had wanted to post, they stick with Newey's air-air intercooler place it atop the engine and cool it with air from the snorkel.
F.e. the turbine isn’t demanded to be single-sided, only the compressor is. A dual outlet turbine could provide some new options for wheel ramp profiles and oulet area (think of a double-sided compressor wheel). Also, directionality of flow is not specified, so a radial-outlfow turbine could be pursued. Is the inlet:outet area ratio of a turbocharger turbine considered to be a limiting factor in terms of geometry and packaging?
The periphery of a cylinder has more surface area than its faces. The turbine must fit within a cylinder 40mm long x 100mm dia. Perhaps something like multi-stage expansion can be simulated within one stage by increasing the potential expansion ration. I don't mean this as a strong suggestion, it just seems to be a geometric possibility.
In general there is a looming question of: why is a gap of 7” permitted between the compressor and turbine wheels? And how could it be used. Another thought is it may have been requested by someone who wanted an over-the-shaft compressor inlet similar to previous years' Renault and Ferrari installations, except this time turned inward, presumably.
F.e. the turbine isn’t demanded to be single-sided, only the compressor is. A dual outlet turbine could provide some new options for wheel ramp profiles and oulet area (think of a double-sided compressor wheel). Also, directionality of flow is not specified, so a radial-outlfow turbine could be pursued. Is the inlet:outet area ratio of a turbocharger turbine considered to be a limiting factor in terms of geometry and packaging?
The periphery of a cylinder has more surface area than its faces. The turbine must fit within a cylinder 40mm long x 100mm dia. Perhaps something like multi-stage expansion can be simulated within one stage by increasing the potential expansion ration. I don't mean this as a strong suggestion, it just seems to be a geometric possibility.
In general there is a looming question of: why is a gap of 7” permitted between the compressor and turbine wheels? And how could it be used. Another thought is it may have been requested by someone who wanted an over-the-shaft compressor inlet similar to previous years' Renault and Ferrari installations, except this time turned inward, presumably.
Nice pics ...
Could the 7" limit exist primarily to control costs and prevent the use of a split turbo configuration, with the compressor on one side and the turbine on the opposite end of the ICE? It’s possible that beyond 7", axle-related costs begin to rise exponentially. This option appears to leave flexibility while controlling costs?
For anyone wanting to hear a 2026 engine on track here’s Audi today
The 2025 engines were relatively quiet overall unless you were directly behind the exhaust and not super far away. When the wastegate opened on the ferrari and honda, they would become noticeablly louder. I would say, in comparison, the sound from the 2026 engine in this video gives me some hope.
Re: 2025/2026 Hybrid Powerunit speculation
Posted: 10 Jan 2026, 00:56
by haza
Definitely louder you can hear the car through out the entire lap pretty much even distorts the audio on fly by
Could the 7" limit exist primarily to control costs and prevent the use of a split turbo configuration, with the compressor on one side and the turbine on the opposite end of the ICE? It’s possible that beyond 7", axle-related costs begin to rise exponentially. This option appears to leave flexibility while controlling costs?
Yes. 7" only spans about two cylinders. It can still be considered relatively split, though, compared to a typical turbocharger.
Twin throttle bodies?
Benefits of a a pair of very low profile plenum chambers with no individual cylinder throttle control?
Allowing intercooler to be mounted above engine and rear (bell-housing?) mounted turbo?
AFAIK the split turbo set-up is no longer allowed and no requirement for MGU-H to conveniently mount within the V leaves quite a bit of volume available, would also allow for centreline intercooler and low engine cover height.
Just guessing!!!
They remind me of the blow off valves that Indy Car/Cart used to use. But they were regulation driven to control nobody pressure. So I’d be very surprised if an F1 ran one voluntarily.
The 2025 engines were relatively quiet overall unless you were directly behind the exhaust and not super far away. When the wastegate opened on the ferrari and honda, they would become noticeablly louder. I would say, in comparison, the sound from the 2026 engine in this video gives me some hope.
