Why British GP will trigger biggest F1 new regulations test yet

The Silverstone circuit is undoubtedly one of the most demanding tracks from the perspective of energy harvesting. 

It could perhaps even be described as the most demanding, making the British Grand Prix an incredible challenge. 

This is because it is characterised by a succession of straights and high-speed corners, where energy is not recovered but instead the energy stored in the battery is consumed.

In particular, through the fast Maggots, Becketts and Chapel complex, the boost provided by the deployment of electrical energy can potentially create a critical situation in the final part of the Hangar Straight. 

Only in the complex section, characterised by a sequence of slow corners and acceleration zones, is the battery able to accumulate energy continuously, although still not in sufficient quantities to sustain its use for the remainder of the lap.

Essentially, only with the contribution of the braking phases — which at Silverstone account for a very small percentage of the lap time in any case — can the battery be fully recharged successfully. 

This effectively points to a realistic increase in the amount of super-clipping compared with what we have seen in recent races, particularly following the FIA's changes to the maximum recoverable power.

This weekend, which features the Sprint format, will therefore provide a valuable benchmark for assessing the genuine improvements made in power unit energy management since the start of the season. 

It will also serve as a test of the extent to which the Additional Development Upgrade Opportunities (ADUOs) that have been permitted — particularly those due to be introduced after the summer break — will need to increase the performance of the internal combustion engine, enabling a portion of the additional power produced to be converted for energy recovery purposes.