Formula One’s all-new mega-hybrid era has been roundly criticised by fans, drivers, and journalists alike. The 50/50 power output from the V6 hybrid units delivers a maximum 50% power from the internal combustion engine (ICE) and 50% from the battery.
Despite warnings from Red Bull’s Christian Horner back in 2023 that the electrical component was rated too high, and a last-chance opportunity for the manufacturers to detune the battery contribution nine months before the new cars debuted this year, Audi and Honda in particular stubbornly dug in their heels.
Such was the furor following the chaotic scenes at the season opener in Australia, followed by protracted discussions with the power unit manufacturers (PUMs), that changes to the harvesting and deployment of the electrical energy were finally agreed upon for the Miami Grand Prix.
A furious president of the FIA insisted Formula One will never again be held to ransom by the demands of the PUMs. Speaking of an F1 return to simple V8 power with “very, very little electricity,” Mohammed Ben Sulayem vented in Florida: “It’s coming; oh yes, it is coming. At the end of the day, it’s a matter of time. In 2031, the FIA will have the power to do it, without any votes from the PUMs. That’s the regulations.”
Max Verstappen threatened to quit F1 unless changes to the power units were enforced for 2027. The proposed move to a 60/40 power share in favor of the ICE was once again on the table. Again, Audi was problematic in the discussions, such that a compromise solution was finally agreed upon which will see the power-sharing shift take place in two stages heading into 2028.
The Technical Reality of Modern Energy Management
It is not just the pathetic sight of cars slowing down on the straights hundreds of meters before the braking zones as they run out of electrical charge that infuriates the fans, but the technical nature of energy deployment, which has now become a complex science.
Drivers are no longer there to just push flat-out and race each other hard; instead, they are expected to play silly games with the hybrid units to ensure they get the maximum benefit from the complex designs and regulations.
Earlier this season, it was evident in Japan that following their push laps in qualifying, the Mercedes cars were dawdling around the circuit on their way back to the pits. As the FIA technical officers investigated the abnormal and dangerous speeds of the Silver Arrows, they discovered the team was using a quirky loophole in the regulations to gain an advantage over their rivals.
Exploiting the Staged Power Cutbacks
Under the regulations, F1 hybrid systems are not allowed to just dump maximum electric power right up to the finish line and then instantly cut to zero. To prevent dramatic speed deltas that could cause accidents, the rules dictate a staged “ramp-down” of the MGU-K (the electric motor).
Usually, the MGU-K must phase out its power output gradually—dropping 50 kW at a time in one-second intervals. This means that as a driver approaches the finish line on a hot lap, their electric deployment is already tapering off, costing them tiny fractions of a second.
The Emergency Button Exploitation
Mercedes, and allegedly also the Red Bull engineers, realized there was an exception to the rule. The FIA allowed teams to bypass the gradual ramp-down and instantly cut MGU-K power from full deployment (350 kW) to zero in a single millisecond if it was done to prevent component damage during a technical emergency.
To stop teams from abusing this emergency button during a normal race, the regulations stated that triggering an immediate MGU-K shutdown would result in a mandatory 60-second hardware lockout, leaving the car entirely without electric power for the next minute.
Mercedes was using this trick, which was particularly noticeable in Japan. This explains why their cars crawled back to the pits having been locked out of access to the hybrid system. Of course, this meant there was no ramp-down happening to the line, giving the Silver Arrows drivers a distinct advantage.
The FIA stepped in to prevent this trickery, citing the danger of such slow-moving cars while others were on hot laps. Teams were threatened with significant sanctions if they were to use this technique to avoid the ramp-down requirements, unless it was due to identifiable mechanical problems.
The Throttle Lift Loophole at Silverstone
However, Mercedes has now discovered another loophole in the incredibly complex hybrids and the regulations surrounding their allowable use. In Sprint Qualifying at the British Grand Prix, telemetry traces provided by GP-Tempo show Kimi Antonelli using a strange throttle application as his push lap comes to a close.
While Lewis Hamilton in his Ferrari remains flat-out to the line, Kimi Antonelli briefly lifts on his approach to the timing beam. Once again, this is to ensure maximum electrical deployment as the driver approaches the end of the lap.
With its relatively short distance to the finish line from the final corner, there is a gain for the drivers to be had if they can prevent their hybrid systems from starting the ramp-down procedure. This is possible given a specific set of circumstances.
Engineering Out the Software Safeguards
If the power demand from the driver is negative and the ICE power is also negative (in other words, a lift), and the power from the hybrid also needs to be reduced to match the driver’s demand, then no ramp-down is required. Therefore, a quick lift of the throttle followed by full application again means the hybrid ramp-down procedure is delayed, keeping maximum battery power available to the line.
Once again, the fans of Formula One are having to get their heads around complex kinetic trickery. Once again, it is not the driver who takes the best line through the corners and can run flat-out for longer who is automatically the quickest. Verstappen’s accusation about “Mario Kart” racing does appear to be fairly close to the truth.
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The Judge, a nom de plume of an experienced F1 journalist and site founder with long-standing sources across the paddock. With over 30 years of experience in Formula 1 as an insider journalist, I have built trusted connections across the paddock, from race engineers and mechanics to senior team figures. At The Judge 13, I and a handful of trusted colleagues share exclusive Formula 1 news, expert analysis and behind-the-scenes stories you will not find in mainstream motorsport media.
