Why Formula 1 Cars Can Suddenly Lose Hundreds of Horsepower

Regenerative braking is not the only way a Formula 1 car charges its battery. The electric motor can also act as a generator, drawing power from the V6 engine. This process is known as “super clipping.” However, the power diverted to the electric motor is not sent to the rear wheels.

That means an F1 car’s output can vary dramatically. If the battery is empty and the V6 is powering the car alone, the car might produce either 1,005 hp (750 kW) or 536 hp (400 kW). During super clipping, output can fall even further, with up to 335 hp (250 kW) directed to the electric motor instead of the rear wheels.

Much of this power management is outside the driver’s direct control. A complex and somewhat opaque algorithm manages the system, and its behavior is highly sensitive to driving style. Several times this season, drivers have crashed after experiencing sudden and unexpected torque spikes.

These varying power outputs created alarming speed differences on the track. In response, Formula 1’s organizers made minor adjustments to the energy-input rules for qualifying to reduce the problem. However, the change slowed the cars even more during parts of the weekend when they should have been running flat out.

What happens to F1 power units next?

Next year, the V6 engine will increase to 563 hp (420 kW), while the electric motor will drop from 469 hp (350 kW) to 402 hp (300 kW), excluding boost mode.

A more powerful engine will also consume more fuel. Asking teams to redesign their cars around larger fuel tanks would be cost-prohibitive for most of them under the current $215 million annual cost cap. Larger tanks would also make the cars bigger and heavier.

As a result, the F1 committee approved plans this week to shorten next year’s race distance from 190 miles (305 km) to 180 miles (290 km). In 2028, the power unit will be rebalanced again to achieve a 60:40 ratio.

F1’s planned V8 return by 2031

By 2031 at the latest, the situation is expected to change again. The sport’s stakeholders—including the FIA, FOM, teams, and engine manufacturers—have reached a tentative agreement on the next major power-unit design.

The planned engine will be a 3.0-liter V8 with a turbocharger, replacing the current 1.6-liter turbocharged V6. Although some fans—and perhaps the FIA president—have called for a return to naturally aspirated engines, noise regulations make that difficult.

Many newer street circuits have strict noise limits, which could prevent a return to the extremely loud naturally aspirated engines used by Formula 1 cars in the early 2000s.