Wolff hopes not to see "energy harvesting disasters in Baku or Monza"
Ahead of the introduction of the all-new F1 power units in 2026, Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff hopes that the sport will not suffer an "energy harvesting disaster in Baku or Monza."
The following season will see Formula One introduce a new power unit. The new construction is expected to continue to produce over 1,000 bhp (750 kW), although the power will come from different sources.
The new power unit will include a turbocharged 1.6-litre V6 internal combustion engine configuration which will be very similar to what has been used since 2014. However, the power output of the internal combustion part of the power unit will decrease to 540 bhp from 850 bhp.
While the Motor Generator Unit – Heat will be banned, the Motor Generator Unit – Kinetic output will increase to 470 bhp (350 kW) from 160 bhp (120 kW).
In addition, fuel flow rates will be measured and limited based on energy, rather than mass of the fuel itself. The power units will use a fully sustainable fuel being developed by Formula One. The power units are expected to recover twice as much electrical energy as before.
Although the new power unit regulation are set to arrive in less than a year, the sport is currently discussing concerns that the drivers would run out of battery on power-sensitive circuits with long straights, forcing the drivers to "lift and coast" before the braking zone.
Ahead of the introduction of the all-new F1 power units in 2026, Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff hopes that the sport will not suffer an "energy harvesting disaster in Baku or Monza."
"Obviously, the closer you come to new regulations, the more people act – all of us – in the interest of the team, that’s their duty. Where we’re coming from is we don’t know how it’s going to pan out next year. Are we going to see energy harvesting disasters in Baku or Monza? I don’t know. We hope not.
"What we’ve signalled is that, rather than act now based on assumptions – like we’ve been great at in previous years and then overshot or undershot – you don’t need to throw the hardware away and come up with something new – it’s within the software and bandwidth of what you can do.
"We’ll see the final product next year in testing. As a power unit manufacturer, we want this to be a great show. We want to win, but we are also aware that in the sport there needs to be variability and unpredictability."
Mercedes enjoyed an enormous competitive advantage at the beginning of the current power unit era in 2014. While Wolff acknowledged that the German manufacturer enjoyed this period, he can understand that such dominances are not in the interest of the sport.
"We enjoyed the years from 2014 onwards, but over a prolonged period of time, that’s certainly not the best for the sport. I try to be very balanced between what is good for Mercedes, which I need to do, and what is the right solution going forward.
"We need to avoid these swings. The FIA proposed this engine; nobody liked it. The 50% electric back in the day was where road cars were going to and it was a reason to attract manufacturers like Audi and Porsche.
"So, we did that. It’s difficult to change the goalposts, especially for the new ones. Honda recommitted, and Audi committed, and including us, they are not keen on changing those goalposts at this stage. But we need to be open-minded if necessary," concluded Wolff.
