"Hamilton was speaking at the second pre-season test where the teams are coming to terms with cars and engines that have been subject to what amounts to the biggest single shake-up in the sport's history, and specifically to how drivers are expected to manage the power of their engines which are now defined by a near 50-50 split between combustion and electrical power. None of the fans are going to understand it, I don't think."
"The new powerunits are designed to maximise a trade-off between use of energy across a lap including a boost mode of electrical power and recovering that energy, calling for strategic driving and having to employ techniques such as lift and coast on straights to recover energy. It is a method that has been used before in F1 for fuel conservation but drivers including Hamilton have expressed concern it will now become too prevalent."
Lewis Hamilton warned fans will struggle to understand Formula One's 2026 regulations after spinning while testing his new Ferrari in Bahrain. The regulations create a near 50-50 split between combustion and electrical power in power units and impose major changes in car and engine design. Energy management is now central, requiring strategic use of electrical boost modes and recovery systems and techniques such as lift-and-coast on straights. Drivers and others have expressed concern that these software-managed strategies will be complex and diminish traditional racing characteristics, such as full-throttle qualifying laps. Teams are adapting during pre-season testing to the biggest technical shake-up in the sport's history.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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