Author(s) :

Anushka Gaur.

Volume/Issue :

Abstract :

This paper analyzes how the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA)’s changes to the 2026 Formula One (F1) regulations substantially alter how F1 cars will operate on track during races. Due to radical changes to the components in the 2026 power units, teams and drivers now have to optimize their energy harvesting and deployment strategies to be successful in this new era of F1. This paper examines how teams must adapt their energy optimization strategies to different circuit profiles under the 2026 regulations, which mandate a 50/50 power split and impose new battery energy constraints. Three circuits were analyzed: the Baku City Circuit, the Autodromo Nazionale Monza, and the Silverstone Circuit. For each circuit, energy harvesting in braking zones and energy depletion for straight segments were calculated to determine the total energy usage in megajoules (MJ) for a single lap. Publicly available telemetry data from 2024 qualifying sessions was extracted using a Python script with an open-source API from the FastF1 website. The analysis then examined whether the harvested energy was sufficient to meet the deployment needs or whether drivers would need different strategies to complete a lap around the circuit. Energy recovery potential varied by 2x (4.97 MJ - 9.94 MJ) across circuits, with only the Baku Circuit exceeding the 8.5 MJ regulatory limit. These findings demonstrate that the 2026 regulations shift competitive advantage towards driver skill in real-time energy management that is circuit-dependent versus a universal approach.