Overtaking mode and energy management: this is how they will work

Grands Prix are preparing to change face in 2026, with a race dynamic much more focused on energy management. The role of active aerodynamics also changes, which in turn delegates the task of facilitating overtaking to another tool. It is the direct consequence of the power unit revolution and their growing electrification, from which it is appropriate to start in order to understand how the battles on the track will develop. Power unit, what changes The heart of the power unit remains the V6 combustion engine, coupled to a hybrid system with various innovations, starting with the elimination of the second electric motor. The MGU-H, the generator that recovered energy from the exhaust gases through the turbo, disappears, while the MGU-K, the unit that provides thrust directly to the wheels, remains. The power of the latter has almost tripled, going from 120 to 350 kW, equivalent to 480 horsepower and approximately 50% of the overall power. Together, the MGU-K and the combustion engine promise a peak even higher than the 1000 horsepower of the old power units, but it will be practically impossible to always have them all available, as the battery has a limited capacity and therefore not being able to always power the hybrid system at maximum power. By regulation, the battery cannot accumulate more than 4 MJ of energy, the same as last year, despite the power having been tripled. This is a very small capacity, such that the car will have to continuously recharge the battery while driving, with the further difficulty of having one less energy source, having lost the old MGU-H coupled to the turbo. It will therefore be up to the MGU-K alone to take care of the task, both by recovering energy during braking and by using the combustion engine as a generator, absorbing its power in a straight line. The control unit will have to manage the energy sparingly, choosing in which situations to unleash all the available horsepower and when only a part. From the steering wheel it will be possible to select various mappings for the electrical part, renamed as Recharge, in the case of the battery charging strategy, and Boost Mode for more aggressive exploitation of the hybrid system. However, energy management will depend above all on the more or less conservative driving of the pilots, whose simulator training will be essential to choose when and at which points to push or recharge the battery. Variable rules for each weekend. As regards the control unit, it will manage the energy by cutting the electric power in a straight line, also diverting part of that of the combustion engine from the wheels to the battery to recharge it. However, there was a fear that the cars, losing power, might slow down on the straight so as to force the drivers to downshift. This would have created safety problems, since, depending on the management strategy, the sudden slowdown of one car would have caused large differences in speed compared to the others at the same point on the circuit. The FIA ​​has therefore drawn up rules to curb these practices. Once you reach 210 km/h, the control unit will not be able to suddenly cut more than 150 kW, around 200 horsepower. After at least a second with the accelerator fully flat, the power of the power unit can be further reduced, but according to a well-defined progression and without ever cutting more than 600 kW in total. This could still mean that the cars arrive at the end of the straight with less than 200 horsepower, but their low aerodynamic resistance, thanks to the moving wings, should ensure a normal speed trend. The regulation also imposes constraints on battery charging. In a straight line, the MGU-K will not be able to absorb more than 250 kW of power, limiting the use of the combustion engine as a generator. The electrical energy that can be recovered over the course of a lap is also limited, equal to 8 MJ in the race and 5 MJ in qualifying. Both for charging and for power cuts, however, these are simple reference values ​​that the FIA ​​may modify depending on the circuit and in extreme cases even during the current weekend. In fact, fast and braking-poor tracks such as Baku and Monza will be a problem for energy management, while the more tortuous ones such as Monaco and Singapore will be the least worrying. The overtaking mode The thirst for energy of the new power units has also influenced the aerodynamic philosophy, requiring cars that have low straight-line resistance to reduce consumption. Hence the use of active aerodynamics, with the opening of the front and rear wing on every straight for all participants, not just those chasing. In fact, unlike the old DRS, which is three times more powerful, the new active aerodynamics is not an aid for overtaking, but an energy management device. The 2026 cars will therefore be faster on the straight, raising some safety concerns. To avoid reaching dangerous speeds, the regulation requires the power of the electrical part to be progressively cut once 290 km/h has been reached, until it is completely eliminated at 345 km/h. Also in this case, the FIA ​​reserves the right to tighten or loosen the restrictions depending on the tracks. The aim is to avoid reaching top speeds that are too high for the safety standards of some circuits, particularly for city circuits like Monaco, where great energy management will not be needed. Furthermore, the same rule offered the opportunity to introduce an alternative overtaking mode to DRS, called Overtake Mode. This is a mapping that will allow attackers to use greater electric power between 290 and 355 km/h than defenders, up to 320 horsepower more, provided they have sufficient energy in the battery. To unlock it, the attacker will have to stay within one second of the defender and will have this until he passes to the next detection point. However, the Federation will establish the exact amount of the power bonus four weeks before each Grand Prix, also based on the characteristics of the circuits. Between hardware and software The development of the hybrid part constitutes one of the main battlegrounds for engine engineers. The first challenge will be to meet the minimum weight, set at 35 kg for the battery, compared to 20 kg in the old regulations, and 16 kg for the MGU-K, up from 7 kg in the past. As regards the performance of the various elements, the objective will not be to develop as much power as possible, as this is limited to 350 kW by the regulations. Rather, what will make the difference will be efficiency, i.e. the ability to reduce energy losses to a minimum, increasing the energy useful for powering the electric motor for longer. The individual efficiencies of the battery, inverter and electric motor fluctuate between 95 and 99%. However, these multiply among themselves, which is why even a single percentage point can make a difference. Furthermore, the more efficient the hybrid, the less heat it generates, requiring smaller radiators to benefit weight and aerodynamic efficiency. Much in this will depend on the effectiveness of the cooling fluids of the electrical components, developed by the partner companies of each manufacturer, as in the case of Petronas for Mercedes. The game depends a lot on the development of the hardware part, especially the battery. However, also pay attention to the work on energy management software, which will be subject to constant refinement during the year, with consequent changes in hierarchies on the track. The teams will also have to develop specific energy management strategies for each circuit, where the driver’s guidance will make the difference. The teams have been aware of this for some time, as Haas technical director Andrea De Zordo warned already in June: “With the new regulations, simulator preparation could be even more important than now and that of the driver will be too.”