Due to new regulations that have been introduced, the face of Formula One will be entering a new era. The new regulations revolve around the engine and how it can become more sustainable both environmentally and economically. The ways that the new engine will be more environmentally stable is that new fossil fuel will be burned, it will use sustainable fuel and more material will be able to be recycled. The new engine will be economically better because it will be able to provide three times the horsepower without three times the expense. It will do this by focusing on maximum energy flow rate instead of maximum mass flow rate. With these new regulations, the field is now open for competitors to enter the grid.
Courtesy of Formula1.com
According to Formula1.com, last year at the Belgium Grand Prix, the automotive group Audi announced that they would be joining the sport by the year 2026 as a power unit supplier. Currently in this Formula 1 season, there are four power units that power all 10 teams. McLaren, Mercedes and Aston Martin are powered by a Mercedes engine unit. Ferrari, Haas and Alfa Romeo are all powered by Ferrari engines. RedBull Racing and the AlphaTauri team are powered by their own units called Honda RBPT. Alpine is the only team on the grid that is still powered by Renault. The German company established that they would announce what team they would be supplying at the end of the year.
Since most teams on the grid already have a set supplier for their power units, it is pretty hard to imagine what team would potentially want to join forces with the new addition to the grid. A team name that was once on the grid but has been under new management has been linked to the partnership between the German company.
Courtesy of Wikipedia.org
According to Formula1.com, Audi acquired a small stake of ownership in the Sauber company. Sauber F1 was once a team that competed in Formula 1 from 2010 to 2017. At the end of 2017 F1 season it was announced that Sauber would then become the team we currently know as Alfa Romeo. With the small but mighty use of their ownership, it is safe to assume that Sauber will be Audi’s ticket to enter the fast-paced world of F1. Audi also mentioned that they would be using Sauber as a strategic partner in terms of this new partnership. However, in order to succeed as a power unit supplier, there must first be an engine to be supplied.
In April of this year per Formula1.com, Audi had stated that they have already made progress in their development of the engine. Audi’s test engine will be a “full hybrid drivetrain unit, comprising a combustion engine, electric motor, battery and electronic control unit,” as stated by a company press release. In addition to wanting to have the best possible resources for the development of the power unit, Audi also announced that they would develop a dynamic development simulator that would help with the development of the unit. Audi hopes to test for this new engine at the end of this year.
Courtesy of therace.com
There are many changes that have already been made to the current era of Formula 1 and there are still many more to come. Formula 1 is a sport that is always changing in order to be more environmentally and economically sustainable and accessible to other contenders and fans as well. In hopes of these new changes, there is also hope that a new era of Formula 1 fans will rise and continue the love and passion that this fast-paced sport has to offer.
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