ELECTRIC POWER ALREADY UNDER REVIEW

Winter testing has wrapped up in Bahrain, the final proving ground before the start of the season. But while the cars were completing their final runs, a significant rumor began circulating in the paddock: some teams may have evaluated a “reduced” version of the power unit, in agreement with the FIA.

Following the first sessions last week — accompanied by rather concerned comments from drivers and engineers — a proposal reportedly emerged to limit MGU-K output to 250 kW instead of the 350 kW mandated by the regulations. The idea behind it is straightforward: to better redistribute energy over the course of a lap and reduce the need for constant lift-and-coast, making driving less dictated by extreme battery management.

Among the teams that admitted to experimenting with this configuration are Audi and McLaren, although it remains unclear which engine modes or specific simulations were used.

Alongside this option, the Federation is said to have considered a second intervention: increasing the MGU-K’s charging power via the internal combustion engine, moving from 250 kW to 350 kW. If combined with reduced energy deployment under acceleration, this solution could ease the pressure to recharge during the lap, limiting its impact on race driving.

Because that is the real issue: seeing drivers forced to manage the throttle more to recharge than to attack does not represent the essence of racing.

Timing and Concerns

That said, some questions are inevitable. Even assuming that any corrective measures are not introduced immediately but only after the opening races, the question remains legitimate: how is it possible that, after years of simulations presented to the FIA and extensive regulatory discussions, such key parameters need to be adjusted just weeks before the season begins?

And furthermore: what value do the recently concluded tests hold if the technical framework is altered shortly afterward? Wouldn’t that risk shifting the competitive balance? A team that had interpreted energy management more effectively could see its advantage erased by new directives.

The hope is that a balanced solution can be found — one capable of improving the show without turning into yet another political dispute in the paddock.

Motorsport and Hybrid: Progress or Stagnation?

There is also a broader reflection to consider. For more than a decade, motorsport has served as a development platform for hybrid technology, widely regarded as an advanced laboratory for the automotive industry. It is well established that competition accelerates innovation.

Yet it is fair to ask: beyond improvements in reliability, how much has energy management truly evolved in terms of performance and recovery?

The impression is that progress has been less transformative than many might have expected. If the measures currently under review help make races less constrained by energy compromises, they will be welcome. Otherwise, there is a risk of pursuing temporary fixes without addressing the root of the issue.

© Simone Marchetti Cavalieri