'Volkswagen demands F1 to make engines cheaper and more durable'
F1 News
- GPblog.com
It seems increasingly likely that Volkswagen Group will announce in the coming months that Audi and Porsche will participate in Formula 1 as engine suppliers starting in 2026. This will be accompanied by the new engine regulations that will be introduced from that same season. There are still quite a few demands attached to those new rules from Volkswagen Group.
This is what the Italian branch of Motorsport.com reports. Volkswagen Group has put several potential rules on the table, all to keep the threshold for new entry into Formula 1 as low as possible. An important issue for the current engine suppliers in Formula 1 is the cost of producing engines.
Reduce costs and fuel
According to the Italian medium, costs should go down, up to 50 percent. In addition, the engines should have reduced emmision, even less than they already do. An important step is the ecological fuel that Formula 1 is already working on.
Currently, drivers take up to 110 kilograms of gasoline with them for a race, but if it is up to Volkswagen Group, that number will become 70 to 75 kilograms. As a result, the engines should run much more economically. Big question is how they plan to maintain the power in the engines.
Headaches for engine suppliers
Currently there is around 1,000 horsepower in F1 engines. With the removal of the MGU-H and Volkswagen Group's goal of driving with less fuel, it will be a huge job for the engine suppliers to come up with a solution without losing much engine power. A decision is expected to be made in June on the regulations for 2026.