P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Alpine "convinced" 2026 F1 chassis rules will negate any engine power losses
During the development of the 2026-30 engine specification, Audi and Porsche showed interest in participating, resulting in a greater focus on sustainability and relevance to road cars. This led to a power split of 50% internal combustion engine and 50% electric output. However, concerns arose when simulator data showed that drivers might have to slow down suddenly on straights and downshift gears due to excessive battery regeneration, causing the electric power to drop out. The FIA does not plan to change the power split despite these concerns. The success of F1’s next rule cycle will depend on the chassis regulations, which are expected to reduce drag and introduce active front and rear wings for improved straight-line performance. The teams are working together to find the right regulations, and energy management is still being worked on. The PU manufacturers have already made important choices in terms of technology development, and changing at this stage would not be acceptable. F1 officials responded to teams’ complaints about the simulations by stating that the teams were using outdated data compared to their own research. The straight-line issues may have come from simulating the new engines with current high-drag car models. The switch to a 50:50 power ratio will result in a 25% decrease in maximum power from the internal combustion engine to around 500bhp, and a change in the turbocharger layout is expected to increase turbo lag significantly.
