F1 2024 – why teams have put the battery at the back of the grid this year
2024’s F1 season opener in Bahrain and the less-than-spectacular showdown in Jeddah showed that Red Bull is set to dominate for yet another season. After a shorter-than-usual pre-season test period, teams up and down the paddock have been changing the cars set to cover the 2024 and 2025 seasons. However, there have been no noteworthy improvements to the power unit despite the shadow of sweeping requirements scheduled for the fast approaching 2026 season.
In just two seasons, revolutionary changes will see engine power split 50/50 between the electric charge stored in the battery and the internal combustion engine. However, this season, we are seeing adjustments to the aero package and testing around reliability, with no team tipping their hands on what we might expect when the power-unit changes occur in 2026.
Why are batteries at the back of the grid in 2024?
Ultimately, engine manufacturers will split their focus between ensuring the current iteration of power units is as efficient and reliable as possible while also developing a competitive engine for 2026. In just two years, we will see the number of engine providers rise from four to six, with newcomers Audi promising to develop their power unit and Ford announcing a partnership with Red Bull to end Red Bull’s reliance on Honda.
With new entrants to the competition and significant regulation changes, the challenges of 2026 will see a different contest to the 2024 and 2025 races. Looking back to 2022, regulation changes caused teams to struggle with their cars “porpoising” down the straight. Changes to aerodynamics and weight restrictions caused issues, which teams will be similarly keen to avoid. Increasing the battery’s responsibility in the power unit to around 50% will see teams pay more attention to battery design than in previous years – with all elements impacted, from the overall weight of the packs to the molecular detail of the battery anode material.
With two seasons of the current regulations remaining, constructors will be wise to keep their new batteries and power units close to their chests. 2026 will be an interesting season of tactical racing, and nobody is keen to let slip any potential innovation or upgrade that could give them the edge.
What might we see from the next generation of F1 batteries?
The rules for lithium-ion batteries operating in the hybrid power unit have been in play for some time. Under the 2026 regulations, harvestable energy per lap of the ERS will increase to 9MJ from 2MJ and the peak power provided to the MGU-K shall increase to 350kW, up from 120kW today.
The FIA has ambitions to ensure that splitting the power delivery between the internal combustion engine and the battery doesn’t hinder the power unit's performance in 2026. Currently, the ERS system comes into its own when overtaking manoeuvres exerting the maximum power to the engine in short bursts. While the MGU-K will be more powerful (350kW vs. 120kW), the amount of energy that can be used from the battery at any one time is still capped at 4MJ – the same limit as the 2024 standards. This is a significant challenge for teams. Constructors are concerned that drivers must adopt drastically new driving strategies by not increasing the 4MJ energy limit to prevent their cars from running out of charge during the race. To maximise the 9MJ of harvestable energy per lap, some teams have hinted that drivers could divert power from the engine to the wheels to charge the battery ready for the straights, as existing batteries would struggle to capture enough energy from braking due to their charge-rate limitations. This has caused some concern about less attractive racing from drivers,
Therefore, it’s firming up that the 2026 season will be a battle of fast-charging batteries, with teams likely to trial different approaches to get the most out of the power unit. Teams are concerned that the recharge rate of the current generation of batteries will not be sufficient to provide adequate power for tracks like Monza, which has long straights and few tight corners that are needed to provide kinetic energy to charge the battery.
How can teams get the most from their batteries?
The battery chemistry itself could be one of the defining factors of the new hybrid era. Teams will be keen to ensure that cars maintain 4MJ of energy throughout the season, leading to potentially more oversized and bulky batteries. Manufacturers could, however, opt for chemistries that minimise degradation under race conditions, thus reducing the oversizing of batteries in the power unit, saving on weight and freeing up space within the confines of the chassis.
One potential component of development in 2026 could be related to the anode materials, a crucial part of the battery that limits its charge rate. Battery technology has vastly improved since the beginning of the F1s hybrid era, and the anode is an area where many manufacturers in heavy industries like mining and haulage have looked to enhance the charge rates, capacity and performance of their industrial electric vehicles. Anode materials have the potential to unlock charge rates that will allow teams to capture 9MJ per lap and could give manufacturers a competitive advantage when designing an elite performance battery for 2026.
Echion’s own anode material XNO®, is well suited to industrial and commercial vehicles due to its ability to provide a substantial amount of power to heavy machinery while supporting ultra-fast charging and higher capacity retention at fast charging rates compared to LTO and graphite.
F1 teams are under pressure to significantly improve the car's performance without increasing its already burdensome weight. Battery power will become one of the driving forces of the 2026 season, and investing in new anode materials could give a team a competitive edge in the new generation of hybrid engines.
Safe, fast-charging, long-life Li-ion batteries with XNO® anode materials >