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 The MGU-H is banned, fuel flow limits have been replaced by an energy use formula, and the power of the MGU-K will be upped from the current 120kW to 350kW.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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Aprilia has unveiled the special edition RSV4 X-GP to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the RS-GP’s debut in MotoGP. Limited to just 30 units, the RSV4 X-GP brings race-bred performance to the road, the team says.

Aerodynamics

The RSV4 X-G is directly derived from the RS-GP25. It introduces leg wings and tail wings to a production-based motorcycle – technologies seen only a few months ago on the RS-GP25 – that add significant downforce during braking and cornering. Completing the aero package are a uniquely shaped front wing, an under wing and cornering wings.

Equipped with ground-effect aerodynamics, the RSV4 X-GP features side fairings designed to reduce air pressure between the bike and the asphalt while leaned over, generating downforce that presses the bike firmly to the ground.

The fairing is made of carbon fiber by PAN Compositi, using the same processes employed in MotoGP. This construction increases vertical load by five times on the straight.

Structure

Another feature taken from MotoGP prototypes is the structural carbon-fiber seat support, also crafted by PAN Compositi. It integrates structural, aerodynamic and design functions in a single element.

An additional refinement is the sandwich carbon lay-up, a special layering technique designed to maximize lightness while preserving rigidity. This increases rear-tire feedback, giving the rider a more direct connection to the bike’s behavior.

“Ten years after our return to MotoGP, we wanted to celebrate with a truly special X – one that recalls MotoGP as much as possible and transfers the essence of the RS-GP25 onto a production-derived bike,” said Massimo Rivola, Aprilia Racing CEO.

“The RSV4 X-GP is unique, beautiful and captivating, capable of delivering those very special sensations usually reserved for professional riders, but still perceptible by passionate amateurs. A product for the few, embodying all of Aprilia Racing’s passion, technology and craftsmanship.”

Engine

The RSV4 X-GP’s 65° V4 engine, 1,099cc with SBK racing specifications, has been tuned by Aprilia Racing’s engineers to produce 238hp at 13,750rpm (revving up to 14,100rpm) and 131Nm of torque at 11,750rpm. These figures are achieved through dedicated tuning, including a higher compression ratio, a Sprint Filter high-permeability racing air filter, dedicated intake trumpets and a titanium SC Project exhaust system with twin pipes and compensator, along with an STM dry clutch. Enhancing the package are the twin-outlet SC Project exhausts.

Electronics

All active electronic systems are managed by the APX engine control unit developed by Aprilia Racing, the latest evolution of the same unit that powered RSV4.

This ECU uses racing-level strategies identical to those deployed in competition, with fully customizable parameters to suit riding style and track conditions. It also features complete data acquisition for performance analysis.

The APX system manages wheelie control, traction control, engine braking and power delivery. A built-in GPS module is also included. Each RSV4 X-GP comes with a dedicated Yashi laptop preloaded with the software for ECU management and fine-tuning.

Chassis

The aluminum dual-beam frame is enhanced with Öhlins mechanical suspension featuring a dedicated set-up. At the front, a pressurized Öhlins fork is paired with a Brembo braking system: radial 19×16 master cylinder, monobloc GP4 MS calipers, Z04 racing pads and 330mm T Drive discs. At the rear, braking is handled by a caliper with a nickel-plated finish.

The RSV4 X-GP rides on forged magnesium Marchesini wheels, shod with Pirelli Superbike slicks (SC-1 front 125/70, SC-X rear 200/65).

“With the RSV4 X-GP we wanted to take another step forward, putting the most advanced technology directly into our customers’ hands. Our engineers have created something that goes beyond an evolution of the extraordinary X project: a motorcycle born directly from MotoGP DNA,” said Fabiano Sterlacchini, technical director Aprilia Racing.

“This is proven by innovations such as the leg and tail wings from the RS-GP25, the structural carbon-fiber seat support and an exceptional power-to-weight ratio. Many components, both visible and hidden, are either new or optimized to guarantee performance and a riding experience aligned with the highest standards of motorsport.”

In related news, UK-based sensor technology specialist Metis Engineering has partnered with California’s Lightfighter Racing to advance the safety and performance of electric superbikes on the racetrack

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FIA Formula 3 (F3) driver Sophia Floersch and F1 Academy driver Chloe Chambers took part in a two-day testing program at Silverstone on July 12 and 13. The tests aimed to help define setup regulations for Formula 2 (F2) and Formula 3 (F3) cars to accommodate a wide range of drivers and improve accessibility in both championships.

The program focused on evaluating all suspension setup configurations used throughout the season to ensure compliance with the steering effort level defined by the FIA. Both drivers tested various setups on different tire compounds, working on braking, steering effort, steering wheel positioning and overall car ergonomics.

The collected data and driver feedback will inform setup limitations for F2 and F3 teams in 2025.

During the tests, Floersch completed 96 laps in the F2 2024 car, while Chambers completed 97 laps in a modified hybrid F3 2019 car designed to simulate the F3 2025 car.

Floersch highlighted the purpose of the test as evaluating the steering effort to make F2 and F3 more accessible to a wider range of drivers. She noted differences in steering racks and caster changes, preferring the harder steering rack for its directness and better control in high-speed corners. Floersch found a setup that balanced effort with control and confidence, benefiting from the trial of different tire compounds and long runs.

She commented, “The FIA and the F2/F3 promoters have a lot of simulations and goals that they want to reach for where they want to end up with regards to steering effort over the next months or years. I think it is good to see that they are working on it and comparing real-life data to their simulations. I was really lucky and happy to be one of the drivers to get the chance to drive the F2 car for the first time.”

Chambers emphasized the importance of providing feedback on the car’s handling, steering weight and balance to improve the next generation of F3 cars: “I did a lot of laps in different conditions and on different tires, so I am hopeful that my feedback and data will be helpful to make the cars as accessible as possible”.

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iVT Expo took place on June 26-27 in Cologne, Germany, bringing together industrial vehicle component suppliers and manufacturers from around the world. As with the automotive industry, the electrification of powertrains in the heavy-duty and off-highway markets is gathering momentum, with many of the same challenges – a need for ever greater energy and power density, cost effective production methods and increased range or operating time. 

Starting small, Turntide displayed a range of compact, low-voltage inverters. It states that its new Whitehaven product line offers one of the highest power densities on the market (34.6kW/L, 36.1kW/kg) and excels in low-voltage electrification applications below 100V, providing precise torque and speed control for IPM, SPM and IM motors. 

“The range is specifically tailored for the two- and three-wheel market – last-mile delivery vehicles, for example,” said Chris Pearce, technical director of advanced engineering at Turntide. “It’s a fully featured replacement for our previous generation of products. It features dual CANbus, multiple-motor encoder support, and can run both permanent magnet and induction machines. The key differentiator is an independent microcontroller we are providing for the customer, to allow them to customize the logical behavior and function of the inverter. Out of  the box it has its own vehicle control function, which is a model-based system with torque modulation done in a multidimensional way, taking in a complete set of target points.”

Solid state batteries

Another particularly noteworthy product was from Italian company Aliant Ultralight Battery, which unveiled a solid-state battery system at iVT Expo. In this interview, export sales manager Riccardo Massaro emphasized the safety and dependability benefits of the solid-state chemistry battery compared with NMC technology and reveals that the company aims to launch a market-ready prototype within six months. He also noted that power density is comparable to its existing LFP products, however, cycle life still needs improving to reach parity with more mature technologies.

Power dense motors

There were plenty of electric motor manufacturers in attendance. EVR Motors displayed its impressive range of traction motors, which use soft magnetic composites (SMC) instead of traditional steel stampings for the stator. This enables a unique architecture, which, when coupled with efficient cooling (both air and water), results in impressive power densities.

Moving up in size, Engiro showcased a 370kW motor specifically designed for heavy-duty applications. Head of sales Fabian Schneider explained that the motor’s performance is enhanced by power density, efficient coolant and high copper content. It features water-jacket cooling and an aluminum housing for optimal heat transfer, with options for rotor package and bearing replacement.

Playlist

2 Videos

Engiro

0:16

https://vimeo.com/969778454

0:16

Power electronics

A host of power electronics solutions were also on show, with companies such as Drive System Design, Aradex and Suncar all exhibiting high-voltage capable, rugged inverters and DC-DC units for heavy vehicle and off-highway applications.

Playlist

3 Videos

Suncar

0:16

Aradex inverters

0:16

Drive System Designs

0:16

Full highlights of iVT Expo can be found here.

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Adrian Hallmark, a seasoned member of the ultra-luxury automotive industry, has been appointed as the new executive director and chief executive officer at Aston Martin, effective October 1, 2024.

Succeeding Amedeo Felisa, who is to stand down as CEO of Aston Martin, Hallmark comes to Aston Martin from his recent role as chairman and CEO of Bentley Motors, where he served since 2018.

With more than 25 years of successful senior automotive experience across the US, Europe and Asia, including stints at Bentley, Porsche and Volkswagen, Hallmark brings a wealth of expertise to his new position.

Felisa will continue as CEO until Hallmark officially assumes the role, and will oversee the introduction of Aston Martin’s upcoming products, including the launch of its third next-generation sports car later in the year, which will complement the successful debuts of the DB12 and Vantage models.

Lawrence Stroll, executive chairman of Aston Martin, said, “I’d like to personally pay tribute to Amedeo, recognizing not just what he has achieved at Aston Martin but throughout his long and distinguished career at the very top of the ultra-luxury automotive industry. We look forward to celebrating Amedeo’s contribution to Aston Martin’s recent success before wishing him the very best.”

Felisa added, “In Adrian Hallmark, we are attracting one of the highest-caliber leaders not just in our segment but in the entire global automotive industry. Complementing our world-class leadership, Adrian will bring to Aston Martin unrivaled experience in both the ultra-luxury and British manufacturing sectors to progress our strategy and continue recent momentum.

“It has been a great privilege to serve as Aston Martin’s chief executive officer, leading our iconic brand through this exciting era. I am incredibly proud of the progress made over the last two years, which has aligned Aston Martin for a positive future direction. I believe now is the right time to allow the company to transition to new leadership.”

Hallmark concluded, “The transformation of Aston Martin is one of the most exciting projects within the ultra-luxury automotive industry. I am looking forward to continuing the company’s great momentum and utilizing my experience and passion to further unleash this iconic brand’s potential and take it to even greater success.”

For more Aston Martin news, please click here.

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Making its debut at the 12 Hours of Sebring in Florida, which takes place March 13-16, the Lamborghini Iron Lynx team has entered the GT Prototype class of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

The SC63 LMDh car will make its first appearance in the US since its competitive debut in Qatar two weeks ago. The challenging track conditions at Sebring, known for its bumpy surface, present a different set of challenges compared with the opening round of the FIA World Endurance Championship.

Lynx says the team’s experience from the previous race in Qatar, where it completed a 10-hour race, will be valuable. The team also participated in a test session at Sebring in February.

Factory drivers Matteo Cairoli, Andrea Caldarelli and Romain Grosjean will pilot the #63 SC63, making their race debuts in the LMDh car. Additionally, a fleet of five Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2s will join the grid, with four competing in the GT Daytona (GTD) class and two in the GT Daytona Pro (GTD Pro) class.

The Sebring schedule includes practice sessions on Thursday, qualifying on Friday and the main event, the 12 Hours of Sebring, on Saturday morning.

For more team news, please click here.

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Long time fuel cell and fuel system developer ATL had a range of new products on show at PMW Expo 2023, including this tank top plate with integrated fuel collector. This eliminates the need for a separate collector tank on fuel injected cars, while the venturi pickups ensure the collector is consistently filled with fuel.

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GT3 is an unrivalled success with myriad global series running to the rule set and, from next year, eligibility at Le Mans and in the WEC for the LMGT3 class, replacing GTE. Since the category was introduced in 2005 the cars have changed beyond recognition, from relatively close representations of production machines to the current bespoke creations. Despite only the slimmest of connection to its road car counterparts, GT3 is still a cheaper proposition than the outgoing GTE class, and competition is fierce between manufacturers looking for trade.

It is against this backdrop that Ford has unveiled its latest customer racer, the Mustang GT3, coordinated with an extensive revamp of the production model. Ford was bullish about the new arrival when it was presented at Le Mans, and with good reason, as it simultaneously announced a significant scalp: long-time Porsche customer WEC GTE team Proton Competition will switch to the Blue Oval for 2024.

PMW speaks to Larry Holt, founder of Multimatic, which was tasked with the thoroughbred’s development and production, to find out what it takes to build a car for the new age of GT3.

Strong roots

Multimatic has laudable history in sportscar racing, with prototypes as a chassis supplier for LMDh and LMP2, and GT cars. It took the spotlight back in 2016 with the Ford GT, which raised the bar for GTE. That was a pure works effort, and Holt is at pains to point out that the Mustang is different: “This time, the real focus for us and for Ford performance is customer racing.”

Multimatic and Ford began work on the GT3 in 2021 with the first concepts based on the new road car, but the project was kept under wraps until early 2023. The latest iteration of the GT3 rules are much more liberal than in the past, with manufacturers permitted to do away with almost all of the production car structure, excluding the central chassis area.

Multimatic took full advantage of this freedom, and under the muscle car body are separate front and rear subframe structures carrying the engine and suspension members.

Double wishbones are used all round, replacing the standard MacPherson strut setup (which features a dual-length lower wishbone to provide a virtual turn center on the production car). “To use double wishbones, we had to add in some structure so the subframe carries all of the suspension pickup points on it,” outlines Holt. “That means we could do really anything we wanted with the geometry, which front and rear is completely unique to this race car.”

Of course, Multimatic’s DSSV dampers feature all around, providing five-way adjustment and plenty of scope for fine-tuning (or getting hopelessly lost, depending on competence). The DSSV system replaces the traditional shims found in a damper with spool valves (spring-loaded cylindrical sleeves), which Multimatic says provides greater control and consistency of damping force.

The core Mustang chassis is reinforced with a 14CDV6 steel cage tied into the body-in-white structure. “From the firewall back to behind the seat, that’s all Mustang. And then everything else is subframe,” notes Holt. Said subframes are affixed using joints secured with clevis pins rather than studs and nuts. This design feature, says Holt, was driven by experience of studs pulling out from the central chassis on a previous GT car, negating some of the maintenance benefits of running replaceable subframes.

He points out that features such as this should mean the overall cost of ownership for teams is lower than for previous GT3 machines, despite the initial purchase cost being greater. “I mean, it doesn’t take much of a hit to toss one of the [older GT3] chassis in the garbage. Okay, this chassis is probably 25 grand more, but that is if you bought the whole chassis. You’re never going to have to change the center section, that should never have to be replaced.”

The concept also means repair times are much shorter. “If you backed it into a wall, you could probably put it out in the next session with competent mechanics, though the front is a bit more difficult because of the cooling.”

Under the hood, Ford’s latest-generation Coyote V8 is used as the basis for the GT3 engine, with capacity increased from 5.0 liters to 5.4. However, rather than being built by Ford Performance in Dearborn, Michigan, development of the engine has been undertaken by M-Sport in the UK, which will build and maintain the units. The transmission is from Xtrac, mounted in a transaxle configuration at the rear, with power fed via a carbon propshaft. It is closely related to the unit found in the latest Mk4 Ford GT (an extreme, track-only special) but with a revised snout to suit the installation.

Aero development

With BoP (balance of performance) the prime limitation on aero performance in GT3, Multimatic’s job was to ensure the Mustang fitted in the required window across as broad a range of conditions as possible while also remaining driveable. “That’s what we have to do these days. We have to make these cars fit into the limits that we’re allowed to fit in. And this does, but we’ve done it in a way that’s totally benign. The downforce is independent of the pitch and roll that the car sees, and that makes it much easier to drive,” says Holt.

The development program required to achieve this was extensive. Holt estimates that more than 1,000 CFD runs were conducted, in addition to around 20 days running at 40% scale in the wind tunnel, followed by full-scale testing. However, it was not all plain sailing.

For IMSA competition, cars are benchmarked in the full-scale windshear facility in North Carolina; for WEC and European competition, the Sauber tunnel in Hinwil, Switzerland, is used. According to Holt, the numbers generated by each tunnel are different, which requires the use of subtly different components, such as a revised splitter infill, to hit the same performance window in each market.

Elaborating on the issues, he explains, “The closer you get to the ceiling on a closed jet [tunnel], the more upwash is interfering with it. The COP moved back 3.5%.  Everyone goes, ‘Oh, it’s a blockage factor,’ but it doesn’t mess up the drag number so much, or even the downforce. It’s about the upwash, but it moves the COP back.”

Of course, Multimatic could have made the car more aerodynamically potent than it is, but that would have been wasted effort. “We could have had a load more downforce and been way more efficient, but it’d be way outside the box,” states Holt. Instead, the focus was on making sure the downforce was consistent and the overall package more driver-friendly. “You make that [rear] diffuser and the diffuser under the front more benign and get it to make less downforce. There are a number of ways you can do it, and one of the ways is to change the shape so it’s generating the same downforce at all ride heights.”

According to Holt, this is a very different approach from that taken with the GT, where the downforce would almost halve as ride height increased through the suspension travel. Although this may be fine for seasoned pro drivers to handle, it is not the behavior you want from a customer car.

“That’s all in service, really, of the amateur drivers in ProAm Pro,” says Holt. “Why is that important? Because if you watch this kind of racing, a lot of the time it’s the Bronze driver who actually makes the critical competitive difference. You want a car like this not to be set up for the pros who can be super quick. It’s got to be quick and easy to drive for the amateur driver.”

Although the Ford GT was a phenomenally potent race car, it was designed for one thing and one thing only: winning at Le Mans with pro drivers at the wheel. “You can’t sell a Ford GT LM car to an amateur,” Holt firmly asserts.

Easy living

Holt makes the point that no corners have been cut with the Mustang. It is equipped with what he feels are the best-quality components on the market, the idea being that these make the car easier to run and drive and, in the long term, gentler on budgets. Bosch and Motec provide the bulk of onboard electronics, with the former’s collision warning system and ABS used in addition to the ECU.

He has high praise for components such as the pedal box from Alcon (which also supplies calipers and the rest of the brake system): “That’s the best in the industry. When you go to adjust it, it doesn’t jam up and it’s really well made.” The electronic clutch actuator from Mega-Line is also highlighted: “You can go [to one program] like that, and pull away like your grandad, or press another program and absolutely launch it and never stall. It’s an incredible thing.”

The final element upon which the success (or failure) of the Mustang customer program will hinge is support. Here, Multimatic has been ramping up its capabilities.

“That part of my business has just become a monster,” remarks Holt. “We were in a small shop in Mooresville in North Carolina, where we were running the Mazdas [DPi] and doing the AMG [GT3] parts business. Now that building has become just the team to run this Mustang and build these things for customers. We’ve now got a huge warehouse down the road, walking distance, where we are running the AMG parts business, customer support and all the Porsche LMDh customer stuff out of, and then this. It’s a huge warehouse with parts and technical support hotlines, so we have become a sort of professional customer racing support company.”

Overall, Holt is adamant that everything about the Mustang has been designed to work for the customer, drawing on everything that Multimatic learned from the GT and other projects but reworked to create a car that flatters drivers across all conditions. “We’re looking at the teams, trying to make it easy to work on, looking at drivers, making it easy on the tires and being able to get a lap time at the end of 25 laps at Sebring. We want to get the same lap time at the end of that stint as you did at the beginning.”

But for all its amicable traits, no performance is being left on the table for the Mustang (within the BoP constraints). Throughout testing, Holt says, “We’re just there, right out of the box, just at race pace. We’re right at race pace all the way through the lap.”

To read more from the latest issue of Professional Motorsport World, click here

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Helix continues to evolve after being formed out of Integral Powertrain’s Integral e-Drive division in 2022. The electric motor and inverter company, based in the UK, is expanding into sectors beyond motorsport and automotive with the completion of a Direct Drive Scaleable Aerospace Electric Propulsion Demonstrator technology project. Known internally as XBS, the project ran in partnership with the Midlands Aerospace Alliance (MAA) and the Aerospace Unlocking Potential (Aerospace UP) project between the MAA and the University of Nottingham.

Having identified an aerospace requirement for a direct-drive motor and its funding partners, Helix developed the XBS project within its X-Division. The company offers its Scalable Core Technology (SCT) in three product levels: Stock, Configured and Custom.

Under the guidance of chief engineer Derek Jordanou-Bailey, the XBS project took an existing SCT motor configuration and adapted it to suit a 38mm through-shaft. The architecture enables versatility and optimization for multiple aerospace applications. Mounted to a piston engine, for example, the motor could augment engine power in a parallel hybrid arrangement. Alternatively, a propeller could be driven from one end of the motor via a gearbox, while the other provides an auxiliary drive to generators, pumps and other ancillaries.

Integrated mechanical cooling pump and advanced sealing technology further enhances the XBS demonstrator. The integrated mechanical cooling pump removes any requirement for a separate motor, cables, brackets and other items associated with an external cooling pump, while X-Division employed advanced sealing technology to retain Helix’s patented rotor cooling in the design.

“With our seal technology the demonstrator ran up to 15,000rpm, developing high power from a relatively small package diameter,” said Jordanou-Bailey. “We could easily adapt it to drive a gearbox, gearing down to propeller speed. We ran it at 310kW continuous, 380kW peak, geared to drive a shaft at 2,500rpm that means huge torque suitable for driving a large-diameter propeller and a significant mass saving over a larger direct drive motor of the same power.”

At the conclusion of a robust test program, the demonstrator proved its reliability and performance, Helix says. Compared to a piston aero engine or turbine delivering power in a similar range, the XBS was an order of magnitude lighter, considerably smaller and the company says it is virtually maintenance free.

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When F1 underwent its sweeping regulation changes in 2021, they included the introduction of a swathe of spec parts; some constructed by teams, others by nominated third-party suppliers.

In the extended horse-trading between teams, F1 and the FIA, one of the proposals that did not make it to the final rules package was the imposition of a spec transmission, or more precisely, transmission cartridge. This idea was floated due to transmission development being an area where teams invest considerable resource for small performance gains, yet one that adds nothing to the ‘show’ for fans. Ultimately spec transmissions were canned, but Aston Martin has brought the subject to the fore again for 2026.

When the idea was initially fielded, the FIA went so far as to issue a request for tender, with UK-based Ricardo one of the companies submitting a proposal. What would have been involved in taking on the gearbox supply for the entire Formula 1 grid, catering to some of the most demanding customers in motorsport?Outline requirements
The FIA’s tender document did not dive into intricate detail on the transmission design that would be required, but rather provided an outline of the basic specifications which would be fleshed out later.

The key consideration was that the transmission be easily adaptable to any team’s individual chassis design, with the tender stating: “The aim of single-source supply is to retain current levels of Formula 1 gear change performance for all cars at a much-reduced cost to the competitors, while also removing the requirement for teams to design or source their own gearboxes.

“The unit can be carried over between seasons, so removing the need for costly continual performance development. In order to retain the competitor’s own freedoms for suspension and for the gearbox aero surfaces, the outer housing will remain team-specific (designed and produced by the competitor) with the common, self-contained gearbox cartridge mounted inside.”

The use of a cartridge gearbox theoretically made life straightforward for the teams, and for whoever ended up constructing the transmission. According to Tim Gee, technical director at Ricardo Performance Products, the cartridge design was necessary to allow easy adaption between teams. “The approach would only work with a cartridge-type box. But it was interesting for us to learn some way down the road that there were only two manufacturers using cartridges. It was a bit of a surprise that not everyone was using them, as for those not running them, it would be quite a step change.”Other specifics of the tender included the need for a 7-speed transmission (a change from the current 8-speed units), along with a minimum quantity per competitor of eight transmissions a season and two test units. Transmissions would also have to be made available to power unit manufacturers.

Predicting a performance increase over today’s power units, the FIA specified that the transmissions must handle a 15% higher input speed than currently and also accommodate an increase in MGU-K power output of 30kW (from 120kW to 150kW). Interestingly, gear ratios would be homologated across the entire field. Currently, each team homologates its ratios for the year, thus this change would mean a marked restriction of flexibility for teams.

The challenge
Ricardo currently produces a large number of transmission components for F1 teams; however, it does not manufacture entire gearboxes – no external supplier does. Instead, the bulk of its work is ‘make to print’; teams design their own transmissions, then outsource the manufacture to specialist companies such as Ricardo.

Ricardo designs and builds entire transmission assemblies for other applications: its gearboxes have won multiple Le Mans 24 Hour races, for example. However, in order to meet the brief to supply a cutting-edge (by F1 standards) product, it would have needed external input.

“If we were going to embark on the process, we would have had to align with some partner teams. Of course, we can design a gearbox, but how close would that be to current state-of-the-art solutions? To ensure that, we were going to partner with a team,” says business development director James Sundler.
Even a company such as Ricardo, which is heavily involved in the manufacture of transmissions for teams, rarely gets to see the overall concept within which the parts it produces fit. In fact, according to Gee, the tender process gave a proper glimpse of what actually constituted the state of the art, from which it could form the foundations for its tender design.

“We could then head in whichever direction was most appropriate, be that making certain parts heavier, lighter, adding greater longevity: whatever people wanted. But it was establishing that entry level that was key. If you just started from a blank sheet of paper, you would probably end up some way off the mark.”

Layout
The final transmission design, had it been adopted, would need to be produced in considerable volume and also with a strong eye toward price.  After all, the main intent of the move to a spec transmission was cost control. With this in mind, Ricardo settled on a thin wall aluminum casting for the main casing, which would incorporate all of the mounting points needed to fit each team’s car and provide the best balance between cost and performance.

Regarding the casing design, Gee points out that there would have needed to be a degree of standardization in how teams fixed the cartridge within their own housings, otherwise the exterior would be a mess of different mounting bosses.

Additionally, the different characteristics of the various power units would need to be accommodated. Though built to a similar specification, each has its own power curve and, more importantly, a unique vibration signature which must be accounted for in the transmission design. In the former case, by ensuring that the gears, shafts and bearings were sized to accommodate the worst-case scenario from a torque perspective. For the latter, the FIA proposed that input shaft length be varied from installation to installation to allow adaption to the different harmonics.If the design had come to fruition, says Sundler, “There was an extensive validation program as part of our tender response, which involved both rig-based testing and also, where possible, running the transmissions with full PUs, and identifying any potential integration issues.”

The original starting point for the project, if the FIA had progressed the concept, was early 2019 and Gee admits that would have been a tight schedule. “From the outside, you could say F1 teams make theirs in six to nine months, but they are only producing two of them and are relying on a very diverse supply chain.”

It would have required a considerable investment in new capabilities for Ricardo, as Sundler explains. “We were going to set up a dedicated manufacturing facility for this. But even then, the load on that facility in the first six months would have been considerable.”

Ultimately, the FIA, under pressure from teams, opted not to pursue a standard transmission, stating at the time: “The council’s decision was based on consideration of both technical and financial information made available by teams and suppliers. The technical data provided revealed that gearbox technology in Formula 1 has largely converged and that, as a result, there is little performance differentiation at present. It was also noted that, due to the complexity of the components, gearboxes remain a sensitive matter in terms of reliability, and this was factored into the evaluations of the FIA technical department.”

The post The gearbox that never was: A proposal for a spec F1 transmission cartridge appeared first on Professional Motorsport World.