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To news overview © RN365/Michael Potts

Formula 1 fans witnessed their first proper look at the radical 2026 machinery during the two three-day tests in Bahrain recently, with the new power units proving the most eye-catching development.

The electrical battery now provides approximately 50% of total power output, fundamentally altering how drivers must approach race management. Crucially, this requires lifting off the throttle through corners to regenerate the electrical component, a significant departure from current driving techniques.

The FIA has simultaneously tightened component allocation rules to slash costs. For this season, there is a degree of relief being provided by the FIA, given that the power units are new.

Recognising the steep learning curve ahead, each driver receives a bonus component for each of the listed PU elements - internal combustion engine, MGU-K, turbocharger, energy store, and control electronics. The MGU-H, of course, has been removed.

As an example, last year, a driver was allowed four engines. This year, because of the new rules, the figure remains the same, although one of those is a bonus, as the allocation drops to three for 2027.

When it comes to exhausts, the allocation has been slashed in half this year. Whereas previously the drivers were allowed eight per season, for this year it is four. Next year it will be three.

Penalties remain severe for those exceeding limits. The first transgression triggers a 10-place grid drop per component, whilst subsequent violations incur five-place penalties.

With the entire field needing to adapt to these sweeping changes, component management becomes as critical as on-track performance. The regulations represent F1's boldest technical shift since the current ground-effect era began, demanding wholesale adaptation from drivers and teams alike.

View the rules around engine parts below!