Honda has returned to F1 as a works partner of Aston Martin, with the new partnership’s season getting off to something of a rocky start. However, the abilities of Honda’s teams in Sakura City in Japan and Milton Keynes in the UK should never be underestimated, as its comeback in the last rules cycle to provide a multiple championship-winning power unit proved.

PMW Magazine gained an exclusive audience with Honda Racing’s Shintaro Orihara, trackside general manager and chief engineer. Speaking in Bahrain pre-season, he was under no illusions as to the difficulties the new regulations present to a power unit manufacturer.

Top of the list of challenges is handling a 350kW MGU-K with a relatively tiny energy store. “The MGU-K power is massive, but the battery volume is the same as the last regulations,” Orihara explained. “It has become much more difficult to manage the energy, so we need to harvest as much as possible and deploy as much as possible.”

The resulting demands on the energy store, and the management of its energy content, are therefore much greater than before. “The battery SoC swings a lot and also, the power difference between MGU-K on and off is a huge difference. Where we deliver max power, that is a very difficult point,” he said.

Of course, none of this is news, and Honda has been working extensively off-track to nail this balancing act, but it was only once cars were on track in Bahrain that the subtleties became apparent. “We learned this is a very unique regulation through this winter testing. So now we are learning a lot in terms of energy management, that is most challenging for us. The lap time sensitivity [around energy management] is much higher than last year.”

Orihara said that athough much preparation work was undertaken prior to the power unit’s track debut at the Barcelona test, “discussion and actual operation is quite different”. However, he was happy that both parties are approaching the development of the trackside and operational relationship with an open mind.

Works relationship

As a works partner, Honda has been closely integrated with the Aston Martin F1 Team through the build-up to 2026. So how has this working relationship developed, particularly given the presence of Adrian Newey, a designer known to place great importance on tight packaging of the powertrain for aero performance?

According to Orihara, Honda’s in-house development work began back in 2023, with the Aston Martin partnership getting underway soon after. “The power unit has been developed with the team, because the power unit design comes from the car demand,” he explained, with the caveat: “Adrian Newey had a lot of requirements and Honda was keen to listen to those demands and meet those demands as much as possible. We have spent three years [on this] and I think the relationship is quite strong.”

But how do you balance the design intent of someone like Adrian Newey and the practical realities of producing a reliable power unit with the correct performance?

“It’s a good question,” mused Orihara. “It’s important to find the compromise point. But Adrian Newey is the best designer, and if the demand comes from Adrian Newey, Honda will respect that demand as much as possible. Sometimes, if it is impossible from a reliability viewpoint, we may say no. But, if we see a negative performance effect but total [car] performance is increased by the demand, we will respect the demand. It [power unit design] is defined by lap time demand, but also by Adrian demand.”  

Combustion challenges 

Looking at the ICE side of the power unit, Ohirhra singled out the loss of the MGU-H as “a complete game changer”. Previously, he said maximising H performance was everything, as increased output enabled longer deployment of the MGU-K throughout a lap. “If we increased engine performance but that meant we lost MGU-H performance, then we couldn’t use that technology,” he said. “With the new regulations, and no MGU-H, we only need to focus on improving engine performance.”

Ohirhra also pointed to the still-present challenge of maximizing combustion efficiency with the added complication of working with 100% sustainable fuel: “The performance mainly comes from combustion, and for combustion performance, it is important that we can burn the fuel correctly, how we get energy from the fuel.” While there has always been a close relationship between power unit manufacturers and fuel partners, the ties are closer than ever before.

“It is not only doing the testing, but we also need a very open mind to show them our dyno data,” Ohirhra said. “For example, normally on the dyno, we measure combustion pressure, which is super, super confidential, we are [now] sharing that type of information.”

Related, F1 2026 tech hub

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Honda rejoins Formula 1 this year as a power unit supplier with the Aston Martin team. Heading up its trackside operations is Shintaro Orihara, who has been the Japanese manufacturer for over 20 years.

You’ve worked at Honda for decades now, why did you want to join the company in the first place?
When I was in junior high school, I watched F1 on TV and something that stood out were the McLarens with their Honda-powered cars. From that moment onwards, I knew that I wanted to join Honda and be a part of this incredible sport. I started there in 2003 and, for the first 10 years, I worked on road-going projects. Despite this, my love and passion for F1 didn’t fade and the hard work paid off. In 2013, I transferred to the racing side of the business and reached my dreams. During this time, I could learn the tricks of F1 engineering and live some intense moments of adversity but ultimately some glorious memories and wonderful times. I can confidently say that Honda and F1 are a part of my life.

What are your responsibilities as F1 Trackside General Manager and Chief Engineer?
My role is vast and varied but, ultimately, I make the final decisions at the track relating to the power unit. I also manage all the trackside members from Honda Racing Corporation from a management viewpoint to make sure that our power units are ready.

Before departing for the race, we have a series of meetings with our colleagues in Sakura in Japan to check the situation and plan for the event. Usually, we travel early in the week so that when we arrive at track, the engine conditions after maintenance can be checked. On site, I will fine tune the plan with the engineers for the weekend, evaluating our options and scenarios depending on the conditions. Once we’ve done this, there’ll be a meeting with Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team engineers to go through every detail, ensuring we’re fully integrated.

When the sessions start, the car’s PU is mainly operated by other Honda personnel. It’s my job to look at the big picture and what is happening overall. I will be making the decisions and communicating with the team via radio.
At the end of each day, we’ll hold an internal PU meeting on site and with our colleagues in the control room in Sakura. We will review what happened and put countermeasures in place if we encountered any issues. This is then reported to and discussed with the team, to make sure we’re aligned.

The Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team is a key component in Honda’s Formula 1 activity. What work do you do with them? What are the targets?
2026 is the first year that we’re learning with Aston Martin Aramco at the track. Although the partnership was announced in 2023, everything has been based on theory and simulations, so there is a lot of anticipation for testing.

So, the first target is to build the fundamental relationship between the two parties trackside and second is to accumulate mileage and gather data, understanding how the RA626H power unit works in the AMR26.

What are your thoughts ahead of the first official F1 test in Bahrain?
It’s been a long time coming, quite frankly speaking. Years of development and hard work culminates with this. Sakura, HRC UK and Aston Martin Aramco have been working tirelessly to develop, plan and build.
The Barcelona Shakedown was a pivotal moment in our relationship and a good step in the right direction. Our next target is to accumulate mileage with our power unit to confirm engine reliability and to check all functions.
We’re looking forward to seeing how the package behaves – car and power unit – as one machine.

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F1 is undergoing its biggest regulation shift this century – or possibly ever. The sport has seen significant changes in the past, including the aerodynamic rules dictating the current cars, and the huge technological jump of the 2014 powertrain regulations. However, in both those cases, it was either chassis or power unit that was altered, whereas 2026 will see wholesale change across chassis, power unit, tires and aerodynamics.

The key aims of the new rules are to enable closer racing and, to a degree, keep costs – particularly for the power unit – in check. The new rules will see cars get smaller, with the wheelbase reduced from 3,600mm to 3,400mm, and the track down from 2,000mm to 1,900mm; tire sizes are also reduced, while the minimum weight will fall from the current 800kg to 768kg.

The aerodynamics are also set for an overhaul, with the technical regulations defined to try to harness the gains made with the 2022 regulations regarding wake management. They also aim to eliminate the behavior that led to issues with ‘porpoising’ due to the sensitivity of the underfloor tunnels to variations in ride height. This means that tunnels are out, with a return to flat floors and diffusers.

Significantly, rear and now front wings will feature moveable elements, to reduce drag and account for the very different nature of power delivery from the revised ICE and hybrid systems. Though the basic architecture of the ICE remains, thermal energy recovery is no more. The MGU-H is banned, fuel flow limits have been replaced by an energy use formula, and the power of the MGU-K will be upped from the current 120kW to 350kW. In this feature, we will endeavor to understand the impact of these changes and how various teams across the grid are approaching the new era.

2026 F1 Car by Car

Alpine A526

Aston Martin AMR26

Aston Martin takes on Honda power for 2026, while the AMR26 is the first of its F1 cars to be truly influenced by the pen of Adrian Newey. When the car rolled out in Barcelona, it was immediately clear the team had taken a relatively extreme interpretation of the aerodynamic regulations.

According to Newey, “We took a really close look at the regulations and what we believe we want to achieve from a flow field perspective to suit them, and from there started to evolve a geometry that attempts to create the flow fields that we want. It’s very much a holistic approach……but, in truth, with a completely new set of regulations, nobody is ever sure what the right philosophy is.”Newey also note that, “Yes. The car is tightly packaged. Much more tightly packaged than I believe has been attempted at Aston Martin Aramco before.” However, when compared to some of the other cars in the field, it appears, to the casual observer at least, relatively bulky.

With the development of its new Silverstone Technology Campus, Aston now has wind-tunnel capabilities in-house for the first time, having previously used both the Mercedes wind tunnel and lately, the TMG facility in Cologne.

“The AMR Technology Campus is still evolving, the CoreWeave Wind Tunnel wasn’t on song until April, and I only joined the team last March, so we’ve started from behind, in truth. It’s been a very compressed timescale and an extremely busy 10 months,” says Newey.

“The reality is that we didn’t get a model of the ’26 car into the wind tunnel until mid-April, whereas most, if not all of our rivals would have had a model in the wind tunnel from the moment the 2026 aero testing ban ended at the beginning of January last year. That put us on the back foot by about four months, which has meant a very, very compressed research and design cycle. The car only came together at the last minute, which is why we were fighting to make it to the Barcelona Shakedown.”

According to Newey, the intent with the car has been to build a car with development potential, rather than one optimized for a tight performance window from the outset. “We’ve tried to do the opposite, which is why we’ve really focused on the fundamentals, put our effort into those, knowing that some of the appendages – wings, bodywork, things that can be changed in season – will hopefully have development potential.”

Audi R26

Cadillac

Ferrari SF26

Ferrari arrived at the second test in Bahrain with a very interesting addition to the rear crash structure, a winglet directly behind the exhaust, exploiting a loophole in the regulation geometry boxes. 

Haas VF-26

For Davide Paganelli, head of aero at Haas, the VF-26’s performance isn’t tied to a single element. Instead, it is a game of management. “It’s the management of the floor of the car from a coherent point of view,” Paganelli explains, “starting from the front wing through suspension and the bodywork in order to be able to feed as much as possible with good high-energy flow the rear”.

He notes that the front wing remains the primary tool for setting the car’s aerodynamic behaviour. Teams are currently split on their approach: whether to load the wing more toward the center or the outboard side to manage the wake of the front wheels. With the rules written so as to force in-washing of the wake, the goal of every team is to try and minimise the damage this cause to flow further down the car. Like in the pre-ground effect era, the goal is to retain as much high energy airflow towards the rear of the car as possible, helping to drive the diffuser.

The 2026 Power Units (PUs) have introduced a significant shift in thermal architecture, with a much greater emphasis on the electrical component. While one might assume this requires a radical cooling overhaul, Paganelli views it as a familiar challenge of scale. “The challenge is the same… you try to maximize your heat rejection keeping the volume and the weight as small as possible,” he notes.

The real divergence on the grid is seen in radiator packaging and the shaping of the sidepod inlets. However, the true complexity, says Paganelli, lies in the brake ducts. With high energy recovery from the electrical system, teams must precisely simulate energy management to correctly size the ducts within the tight geometric constraints of the wheel rims, as the design of the external ducts is tightly controlled.

Perhaps the most discussed feature of the new regulations is the move toward active aerodynamics on both the front and rear wings. For Haas, the hurdle isn’t just the mechanism, but the car’s balance in “straight-line mode.” “The main challenge is… to have a car that is drivable also in straight-line mode because the amount of loads that we lose activating both the wings is huge”.

This shift will likely change how teams approach wing levels across a season. Paganelli predicts that the days of bringing six different rear wing specifications to suit various tracks may be over, as the straight-line mode allows for a broader operating window for a single design.

Despite the early-season variety—such as some teams opting for a “high rake” philosophy reminiscent of the period up until 2022—Paganelli expects the grid to converge quickly. Unlike the hidden complexities of the under-floor, the bodywork and wing activation devices of the cars are visible to all. “It’s not like in the floor, that was a sort of hidden area difficult to be observed [driving the performance].”

However, the rapid pace of development is tempered by the budget cap and ATR (Aerodynamic Testing Restrictions). For Haas, the limitation isn’t just wind tunnel hours, but the capacity to run multiple projects in parallel. Having invested heavily in the late-season package for the VF-25, the team is now focused on the iterative refinement of a car where every square centimeter of carbon fiber must earn its keep.

Mclaren MCL40

Greene Tweed develops advanced MSE seals for McLaren Formula 1

Mercedes W17

Racing Bulls VCARB03

Red Bull RB22

Williams FW48

Williams had a hesitant start to 2026, missing the pre-season shakedown in Barcelona, while rumours swirled of an overweight car and missed crash tests. As it turns out, these were just that, rumour, and talking on the first day of pre-season testing proper in Bahrain, team principal James Vowels was upbeat about the the teams progress. Despite missing the initial shakedown, he says, “in lieu of that, we did a full week of VTT (Virtual Track Testing) running where we did quite a few hundred kilometers there. It’s not exactly the same thing as running on track, but you do shake out the gremlins. Followed by two filming days: one at Silverstone and one here [Bahrain] yesterday. The car ran flawlessly yesterday—it was brilliant.”

While Vowels wouldn’t be drawn on the exact weight of the car, understandably, he did not appear to think the team was any better or worse off than others. “I don’t think we’re on the weight limit right now as I talk to you. But there’s a plan in place both for Melbourne and then across the first three rounds or so just to make sure we’re jumping into that. Again, it goes back to: anyone that tells you exactly where they are is probably because they’re right on the weight limit or just below now. But there are sensor packs on the car that are worth around about 12 kilos here just to give you an idea, which is why until you shake that all off, no one knows exactly where [they are].”

Power Units

Mercedes AMG HPP

Facing the transformative changes coming for the F1 power unit

Honda

Interview: Shintaro Orihara

Red Bull Powertrains

Ford and Red Bull Racing accelerate 2026 F1 power unit development with advanced manufacturing and simulation

Ferrari

Audi

BP and Audi Revolut F1 Team join forces for sustainable racing

50% EV power

On paper, the changes to the energy recovery systems for 2026 simplify matters, moving from having two energy recovery sources (MGU-K and H) to a single MGU-K. However, the potency of the system more than doubles, from 120kW to 350kW. In theory, with both ICE and MGU on full song, the 2026 cars will be just as, if not more, powerful than the current machines. However, they will only be able to deploy this full power for a relatively small portion of a lap due to limitations imposed by the rules, energy recovery available under braking and harvesting via the ICE at part throttle.

On most tracks, the energy use limit will be set by regulation at 8.5MJ per lap (with the maximum SoC difference in the battery being 4MJ). However, at tracks where the FIA deems it harder to recover energy, the rules (currently) say that this allowance can be reduced all the way down to 5MJ, the intention being to mitigate any vast differences between teams who get a handle on energy deployment faster than the competition. At the time of writing, the rules surrounding where full power from the MGU-K can be deployed were still TBC, though it seems that maximum output will only be allowed as a push-to-pass function and during qualifying.

Furthermore, to prevent a ‘cliff-edge’ scenario of long straights, whereby battery energy is exhausted long before the braking point, available power from the battery will be tapered off at high speed, starting at 300km/h with 0kW available over 345km/h. Away from the energy management issues, which will no doubt consume gigaflops of teams’ computing power during simulation, the mechanical practicalities of the new systems are equally onerous.

As Aston Martin’s Andy Cowell notes, “350kW electric motors do exist in the world, it’s just whether you can get them down to a very lightweight, efficient 350kW. And the same with the battery: there are batteries that take 350kW but again, it’s the mass, it’s the volume and it’s the efficiency.” Starting with the mass of the MGU-K, this is set at 16-20kg, depending on whether the transmission delivering drive to the crank is incorporated within the ERS or the ICE. For reference, the current MGU-Ks have a minimum mass of 7kg. As Mercedes’ Hywel Thomas notes, “Of course, all of us will be aiming at the minimum mass. How close everyone gets, I think, will be an interesting topic.”

The regulations will also fix the location of the MGU-K, placing it at the front of the engine inside the safety cell (currently all teams mount theirs on the side of the engine). According to Thomas, the idea of fixing the location of the MGU-K was “to try to avoid one person coming up with an absolutely stunning idea of where to put it, which then everyone has to copy, and just spending their time copying it rather than actually developing good technology”.

Similarly, the control electronics will also be housed in the safety cell, meaning that there should be no high-voltage cable runs outside of the central chassis, thus improving crash safety. As with the current regulations, the efficiency of the electrical components of the power unit will be just as important as the ICE, the goal being to deploy as much of the permitted electrical power to the wheels as possible. Here the onus will be on the motor and power electronics engineers, and there will likely be some very useful (outside of racing) advances made in the field of high-power semiconductors and motor design, all while respecting the various competing demands of overall car performance, such as reducing cooling requirements to a minimum to keep the aerodynamicists happy

Ford to the Fore

The dawn of the 2026 F1 season will also see the advent of new manufacturer representation on the grid. Audi will arrive with an in-house-developed powertrain and chassis, having taken over Sauber; General Motors will become the 21 st team on the grid with its Cadillac brand; and Ford will come to the fore as the technical partner of Red Bull and Red Bull Powertrains. Although the first two have been keeping to tightly controlled schedules regarding the information they release to the media, Ford has been quite forthcoming about the nature of its involvement in the Red Bull project. Speaking to PMW at the Italian Grand Prix in August, Mark Rushbrook, global director at the newly minted Ford Racing (formerly known as Ford Performance), highlighted that the company’s activities had expanded beyond what it initially expected. “Back three years ago now, when we struck the initial deal, we had a short list of areas where we knew we could contribute and where we also wanted to learn. Initially that was focused more around the electrification, the battery itself: the cell chemistry, the battery pack, the motor and the software around it. That list has grown to much more involvement with the total powertrain and, more than I’d expected, the manufacturing of parts for it. “Where we didn’t expect so much [involvement] is on the ICE. We’re learning there more than we expected, to be honest. But then it’s the manufacturing of the parts. We have advanced manufacturing facilities, we’ve got clients that build hundreds of thousands of units a year, and we’ve got plants that do low volume with additive manufacturing, and that’s where we’re drilling from. Our facilities need to be able to support that, and the number of parts that we’re able to supply – making them in Dearborn and shipping them into Milton Keynes for assembly into the powertrains.” Ford was also able to provide vital capabilities to Red Bull Powertrains early in the development program, helping to reduce development timescales. For example, Red Bull didn’t have in-house rigs for turbocharger testing, which Ford Racing was able to access within the wider company.

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First teased in mid-2025, further details have been released for a new, top level, single seater championship, HybridV10, with a target date of 2028 or 2029 for the initial races.

Spearheaded by Anthony Hamilton, the series appears to be pitching itself as a direct competitor to F1 and will be staged outside of the remit of existing FIA championship structures. The information released so far states that the concept will be an “independent motorsport festival ecosystem”, looking to deliver two classes, each with 24 grid positions available. The top-level cars will be powered by naturally aspirated, hybridized V10 engines, the lower class by hybrid V8s.

The stated goal is to provide a more transparent, fan-inclusive experience with clear pathways for not just driver talent but also engineering talent through investment in career development and STEM education.

Independent series

Crucially, Hybrid V10 will “initially operate as a professional festival format, not as an FIA-sanctioned World Championship, and is not in any way affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to the FIA or Formula 1,” the series said in a statement.

Governance will be via the Hybrid World Commission (HWC), which would oversee sporting and technical regulations, safety standards, licensing and other administrative matters. It would be “the ultimate governance layer for all matters specific to the HybridV10 platform, while respecting the role and responsibilities of existing national and international sporting authorities in their own championships,” the statement said.

A core tenant of the governance will be transparency, via what is termed the “This isn’t Right” system, which the new series described as “a balanced partnership between fans and officials that helps ensure HybridV10 remains: Fair. Safe. Accountable. Fan-Inclusive. Conflict-Free”.

Central engineering campus

Rather than the current model of multiple, geographically distant teams, HybridV10s is proposing a central “global centre of excellence”, with facilities for up to 24 teams, engineering and development programs, simulation and education facilities.

Technical details of the cars are sparse. However, technology relevance is mentioned in the initial information release, hinting that some areas of engineering differentiation will be allowed.

In related news, Toyota Gazoo Racing Europe rebrands as Toyota Racing ahead of 2026 season

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Opel has been a pioneer in the field of electric rallying, with the Corsa Rally Electric proving that EVs can compete on rally stages since 2021 and the inception of what is now known as the ADAC GSE Rally Cup. From 2026, drivers will get a new, more potent machine in the form of the Mokka GSE, which will run under both Opel and Vauxhall branding.

The Mokka GSE Rally is the first car currently being developed according to the FIA’s new eRally5 regulations, and with a peak power output of 281hp, it is more than twice as powerful as the Corsa Rally Electric (136hp). Backed up with 345Nm of torque it promises performance on a par with a Rally4 vehicle. The rally car is closely related to the roadgoing Vauxhall Mokka GSE, sharing key components such as the motor (which produces an identical 281hp), inverter, battery and wiring harness.

“The cooperation between ADAC and Opel is the perfect embodiment of successful talent promotion. We both support the rally stars of tomorrow, and our common philosophy is paying off: over 224 male and female drivers from 22 nations have taken their first steps in professional rallying since the 2013 season. The best of them made it into the ADAC Opel Rally Junior Team and caused a real stir at European level. Six JERC driver titles including this year’s championship of Calle Carlberg speak for themselves,” said Jörg Schrott, head of Opel Motorsport.

“But not only the rally youngsters and their thrilling battles have been crucial to the success of our cup. The technological maturity of the Opel Corsa Rally Electric also speaks for itself. Its near-production electric propulsion stands for innovation, quality and reliability made by Opel. With this rally engagement, we prove once again that electric mobility is suitable for everyday use and electrifying and reliable for motorsport alike. I am really looking forward to the 2026 Cup season with our new Mokka GSE Rally.”

In related news, Luca di Grassi unveils electric concept – the DGR-Lola

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Lola Yamaha ABT driver Lucas di Grassi has revealed an all-new electric concept racer, the DGR-Lola – a car built from the ground up to show what current electric racing tech can really do.

The car combines active aero, a modular battery system, upgraded safety features and open software integration. In simulation, it lapped the Circuit de Monaco 4.3 seconds quicker than a current Formula 1 car while being around 10 times more energy efficient. The DGR-Lola uses a twin-turbine suction system for adjustable downforce at any speed, all-wheel drive, and two motors delivering 600kW (804bhp), powered by a fully integrated 60kWh modular battery.

Di Grassi led the design and engineering, with support from Lola Cars at its Silverstone facility. Lola’s technical team provided early feedback, ran lap time simulations to understand the car’s potential, and helped define the full specification. CAD work was handled by Sebastian Lamour’s LamTec, visual renderings by Chris Paul Design, and CFD analysis by Airshaper.

Di Grassi said, “This project is meant to show what the next generation of electric racing cars could look like. With the data and simulations we’ve done, we’ve shown that an electric car can be faster than Formula 1. My goal is to build this car within the next two years.”

Lola Cars technical director Peter McCool added, “We’re always looking for new ways to push motorsport technology forward, and working with Lucas on this concept was a great fit. The result is a car that really stretches what’s possible in electric racing using technology that already exists today.”

In related news, Cosworth unveils first GT steering wheel and Centaurus 3 Power Distribution Module at PMW Expo

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In an exclusive interview on the show floor at PMW Expo 2025, AVL Racetech’s director of motorsport, Ellen Lohr, and the company’s director of product and business development racing, Guillermo Fernando Pezzetto, explain the benefits of go_RACE, a new professional driving simulator for smaller teams, filling the gap between super-professional simulators and sim racing.

It’s not too late to attend the show. Click here to register for your free expo pass

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With PMW Expo 2025 rapidly approaching, this year’s content program has been finalized. Taking place in Cologne, Germany, on November 12 and 13, the expo will see dozens of sessions held across both days, offering insights from industry leaders focused on driving performance and innovation.

A selection of the presentations confirmed to take place at the Koelnmesse next month is listed below:

AM for High-Performance Automotive Symposium: Transforming and redefining the additive process at lightning speed with Red Bull Ford Powertrains

Thursday, November 13, 12:00pm-12:30pm

Presented by Christian Hertrich, chief powertrain engineer at Ford Racing, and Rajan Singh Panesar CEng, materials engineer at Red Bull Powertrains, this session will explore elements of Ford Racing’s partnership with Red Bull Powertrains.

Focus will be given to how Ford Racing is aiming to use its manufacturing prowess and additive manufacturing capabilities to further the development of its 2026 Formula 1 power unit, as well as how a shorter and more efficient passenger car development cycle might be an unintended byproduct of its quest for Formula 1 glory.

Advanced Powertrain Technology Forum: Developing a hybrid powertrain to deliver a naturally aspirated driving experience – Lamborghini’s new L411, biturbo V8 hybrid

Wednesday, November 12, 12:30pm-1pm

Led by Lamborghini’s head of vehicle motion and energy management, Davide Bizzarri, this session will explore the development of Lamborghini’s new L411, biturbo V8 hybrid power unit.

The talk will focus on the challenges Lamborghini faced to adopt the benefits of a hybrid powertrain, while ensuring the user-end supercar experience was not compromised.

Advanced Powertrain Technology Forum: How to engineer a battery for the world’s toughest rally – and win!

Wednesday, November 12, 11:00am-11:30a,

Francesco Monti, CEO of Podium Advanced Technologies, will discuss the development of the battery for the Audi RS Q e-tron, which competed in the Dakar Rally from 2022 to 2024.

Although designing high-voltage, high-performance battery systems is Podium Advanced Technologies’ core business, the prospect of developing a battery capable of surviving over two weeks in the desert presented the company with an entirely new set of challenges.

Advanced Powertrain Technology Forum: Panel Discussion – Mission H24, pioneers in hydrogen endurance racing

Wednesday November 12, 3pm-4pm

A roundtable discussion will be held featuring key stakeholders involved in the Mission H24 program, a collaboration between the Automobile Club de l’Ouest and H24Project that aims to develop the technology for a hydrogen prototype category at the Le Mans 24 Hours.

The panel will include Mission H24 technical director Bassel Aslan, Bosch Motorsport director of projects Michael Muerlebach, Fortescue Zero general manager for motorsport Douglas Campling, Forvia head of engineering–sales Pierre Tipner and Motion Applied’s head of telemetry, control and analytics for motorsport, Sam Guest, with further panelists to be added shortly.

AM for High-Performance Automotive Symposium: Revolutionizing design and manufacturing in automotive forever

Thursday, November 13, 11:30am-12pm

Ralf Frohwerk, global head of business development for Nikon SLM Solutions, will provide insights into the industrialization goals of additive manufacturing in the automotive industry.

A particular focus will be placed on metal AM, including how the powder bed fusion (PBF) metal AM process fits within the automotive sector, with case studies highlighting the added value of metal AM applications.

For the full program at the Advanced Powertrain Technology Forum click here

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PMW Expo 2025, taking place on November 12 and 13 in Cologne, Germany, will feature, for the very first time, a series of three in-depth technical workshops, each running for four hours and delivered by tutors with a wealth of real-world experience at the highest levels of motorsport. These masterclasses are tailored to provide techniques and knowledge that can be directly applied trackside. 

With limited spaces and a delegate fee of €299 (US$345) per workshop, these are unmissable and excellent value opportunities for anyone looking to up their game in vehicle dynamics and simulation. 

Simulation and transient handling analysis in motorsport

This exclusive workshop delves into the simulation state of the art in Formula 1, bridging theory with practical implementation. Each section is carefully designed to maximize insight, provoke thought and equip attendees with frameworks that can be applied in real-world motorsport environments.  REGISTER HERE

Javier Bermejo
Javier will bring a wealth of elite motorsport experience to this workshop. He will deliver the session at PMW Expo 2025 as the founder and technical lead at Racetrack Dynamics, sharing insights gained from his engineering roles at Formula 1 teams, including performance engineer at Sauber F1 and vehicle dynamics Engineer at Red Bull Racing.

Alex Burg
Alex worked as a mechanical designer in the powertrains department at Red Bull Racing, contributing to the development of cutting-edge turbocharger technology for the 2026 Formula 1 power units. Alex is now co-founder and director at Racetrack Dynamics and will bring his abundance of sharp analytical skills to this workshop at PMW Expo.

Design of springs for race cars

This focused workshop explores the core principles behind spring rate design in race cars, from motion ratios and coil spring calculations to pre-load, anti-roll bars and gas spring effects. Geometry, roll centers and pitch centers will be examined to define the roll and pitch arms, before the workshop moves into practical design targets, frequency analysis and example calculations. This will be a hands-on, highly applicable session designed to deliver insight that can be implemented immediately. REGISTER HERE

Ton Serné
Ton is a mechanical engineer and veteran motorsport professional with decades of experience in vehicle dynamics. He has worked as a race mechanic in various Formula series and managed the Bross F3 team to victory in 1987. Serné lectures in vehicle dynamics and mentors young drivers, developing talents such as Max Verstappen, Rinus VeeKay and Le Mans-winner Job van Uitert.

Tyre modeling and simulation for performance prediction and optimization

This workshop will explore the fundamentals of tire modeling with direct application to motorsport performance. Key topics will include thermal modeling, friction and load prediction using the brush model, all grounded in two decades of research and motorsport consultancy. Attendees will gain practical insights into modeling fidelity, road surface interaction, parameter identification and the application of advanced tools like the Magic Formula model and machine learning techniques. REGISTER HERE

George Mavros
George is a professor of intelligent mobility and vehicle dynamics at the Aeronautical and Automotive Engineering Department at Loughborough University, where he has also served as head of department. George has worked extensively with motorsport partners and tire-testing houses on the topics of tire-road friction and tire model parameterization.

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