How did Ferrari, Mercedes, and Red Bull gain more power from their 2023 F1 engines? Explaining technical details behind their power units

As the 2023 F1 season approaches, fans might be wondering how every team will improve their cars to gain an advantage.

Right before last season, the FIA froze the development of the power units until 2025. This means that engine manufacturers will be prohibited from developing or changing anything in their power units for the next four years. However, nearly every team will try their level best to improve components around the engine itself to squeeze more power out of the car.

Red Bull, Ferrari, and Mercedes are currently considered the front-running teams in F1. They have hundreds of engineers constantly working on their cars. Hence, they will try to find loopholes in the FIA regulations and introduce new features that won't necessarily modify the power unit but boost its efficiency.

At the start of the 2022 F1 season, Ferrari struggled with reliability issues. This was due to issues with their turbochargers, as well as the MGU-H and TJI (Turbulent Jet Ignition) systems. Once these issues were resolved, the power unit's output increased by 30 bhp. This improvement will be maintained by the team as the new season begins.

Mercedes' power unit was rock solid in terms of reliability. However, they focused on reducing internal mechanical friction between components like main bearings, crankshafts, and connecting rods. A special lubricant was created by the team to achieve smoothness. Moreover, Petronas, one of Mercedes' main sponsors, provided new fuel that drastically improved combustion efficiency, increasing the horsepower by 16 bhp.

Red Bull's development process has been slightly different since they were working with Honda's engine and their power units were already homologated. Hence, they focused on modifying the MGU-H and the MGU-K to increase the reliability of the car. Additionally, they also improved the auxiliary pumps of the internal combustion engine. They were able to increase the horsepower of their car by 10 bhp by combining these two developments.

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FIA president on the 2026 F1 power-unit regulations

Back in August 2022, the FIA released a statement announcing that the World Motor Sport Council had approved the 2026 F1 power unit regulations. FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem spoke about the new power unit rules and how the sport will benefit from them and hit the goal of net zero carbon emissions by 2030. He said:

“The FIA continues to push forward on innovation and sustainability, across our entire motorsport portfolio. The 2026 Formula 1 Power Unit Regulations are the most high-profile example of that mission. The introduction of advanced PU technology, along with synthetic sustainable fuels, aligns with our objective of delivering benefits for road car users and meeting our objective of net zero carbon by 2030. Formula 1 is currently enjoying immense growth and we are confident these regulations will build on the excitement our 2022 changes have produced.”

Apart from the new power unit regulations, a lot more changes will be coming to F1 in 2026. For starters, Audi will be joining the sport with Alfa Romeo, and several other engine manufacturers like Hyundai, Honda, Ford, and even Porsche are rumored to arrive in F1. Additionally, the Andretti-Cadillac team is also trying to break into the sport.