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In Miami, the Silverstone team had introduced some innovations in gear management, but they didn't deliver the results the engineers had expected. The transmission had some teething problems: tests were conducted on the Honda dyno to improve the communication between the power unit and gearbox.

Aston Martin is the biggest disappointment of this season's start, certainly more so than Cadillac, the eleventh team making its debut in the F1 world championship. The AMR26 was among the most anticipated cars, since the "green" was the first car designed by Adrian Newey.

The English genius found himself operating in a completely new world, with a team equipped with perhaps the most modern facilities at the new Silverstone Campus, but the feeling is that the team hasn't yet acquired the top-tier mentality it aspires to. Hence the gap between a factory that isn't yet fully operational compared to its potential and an organization that, perhaps, has grown too quickly for a change in mentality that isn't easily achieved simply by changing a few people.

When Adrian was persuaded by Lawrence Stroll to become a partner with a small stake in the company, he didn't expect to find an environment still in full turmoil, with more faces leaving than those selected to join.

And the revolutionary changes weren't limited to the convoluted 2026 regulation with the introduction of agile single-seaters powered by power units capable of producing power halfway between an electric motor and an internal combustion engine.

For Aston Martin, the difficulties multiplied: Stroll Sr. wanted to secure a factory supply, stepping away from being a Mercedes customer team. But the Silverstone team could rely on the "Star" not only for the availability of the PU, but also the gearbox and rear suspension. Essentially, the "green" team had been able to rely on the W16's rear end for years, finding itself part of the... ready-made mush.

Focusing on an exclusive partnership with Honda for the supply of the power unit, the British team had to broaden its expertise by considering the design of the entire rear end. The partnership with the Japanese manufacturer was born out of the utmost trust, relying on the fact that Sakura had enjoyed a winning run with Red Bull and Max Verstappen that yielded four world titles.

Honda, however, after announcing its withdrawal from F1 at the end of 2020, had assigned its best technicians to other projects, and when it decided to return, it entrusted the complex task to engineers who were part of the second tier. And the mistake of Andy Cowell, the highly respected former Mercedes engine designer, who in the meantime had become CEO and team principal of Aston Martin, was not to establish a close collaborative relationship with the Japanese.

When it came time to join forces on the AMR26, all the problems emerged: the engine seemed far behind not only in performance, but also in reliability. Harmful vibrations, which also affected the chassis, put the batteries under strain. The first emergency was to turn off the toxic frequencies, but the power unit is unquestionably the worst in the circus and will benefit from a very "special" ADUO (in terms of number of updates and expanded budget cap) compared to the other struggling manufacturers. But Adrian Newey has put his... weight behind it, designing a car with very extreme solutions both in terms of aerodynamics and mechanical choices: the suspension, both front and rear, is all multi-link without traditional wishbones.

In all of this, building the transmission in-house for the first time was an additional challenge because the team lacked a specific culture. And the newly formed department is struggling: teething problems have affected performance, with gear changes often slow or too abrupt.

In Miami, Aston Martin was criticized for not having brought any upgrade packages: Newey decided to focus on a very different car that will be seen shortly before the summer break, if not at Zandvoort. In the meantime, the Silverstone technicians have been working on the electronic gear management, with the aim of reducing gear shift times, but judging by the drivers' complaints, the step forward has not been seen, making the AMR26 very unstable under braking and with complicated gear synchronization that is always difficult under acceleration.

Meanwhile, the engine and gearbox have been running on Honda's dyno in Japan, and the fine-tuning of the electronics at Sakura should allow for a quantum leap in Montreal, a track that emphasizes stop-and-go capabilities and where traction plays a role in performance. Will this be the first (small) turnaround?

The FIA ​​recently announced that it has reached an agreement with F1 teams and power unit (PU) manufacturers to adjust the PU regulations for next season.

The maximum output of internal combustion engines (ICE) will be increased by 50 kW to approximately 450 kW (612 PS). On the other hand, the output of electric motors will be reduced by 50 kW, limiting them to a maximum of 300 kW (408 PS). This change is expected to address the long-standing concern of "energy shortage" and make the much-criticized 2026 PU regulations more realistic.

Under the regulations introduced in 2026, the engine and motor outputs were set at a 50:50 ratio, at the request of the car manufacturers. While there was a desire to maintain this ratio, ultimately, practical considerations prevailed.

　By reducing motor output, the amount of electrical energy consumed per lap is also reduced. This should significantly reduce the need for the extreme energy regeneration strategies that were required on some circuits. Moreover, since the ICE's output is increased due to the increased fuel flow, the overall output does not decrease.

However, it's not simply a matter of "increasing fuel flow and decreasing motor output." Since the engine, which wasn't originally designed to handle such high output, will be operated under higher load conditions for extended periods, the risk of reliability issues increases.

　In any case, all five PU manufacturers are developing new PUs for next season. And at this point, each company has already put the initial specifications for the 2027 PUs into development.

　These will evolve based on the insights gained this season and the potential updates that may be approved in ADUO (a remedial update for underperforming PUs).

This power increase will necessitate a certain level of redesign for each engine to withstand higher loads. As a result, the development schedule may be slightly delayed while engineers adjust various parameters behind the scenes.

　So, which manufacturer will be the most affected?

At this point, it's unclear what trump cards each manufacturer has prepared for next season. However, by looking at the current 2026 specification PUs as a baseline, we can get a general idea of ​​the direction each development department is heading.

Mercedes - Is the response relatively easy?

Mercedes is seen as a manufacturer that will be relatively able to adapt to the 50kW increase in engine power for next season.

　Of the five manufacturers, Mercedes may have the least to lose. Of course, performance derived from the MGU-K will be reduced, but the ICE is said to already boast top-level output on the grid.

This strength is particularly evident during races when the MGU-K's output gradually begins to decrease. The speed drop is less noticeable compared to other manufacturers, which suggests that the ICE alone has excellent output performance.

　Furthermore, if the fuel flow rate increases, it is highly likely that the engine will easily reach the power output target required by the regulation adjustments. In fact, it may even exceed it, because Mercedes' engine is believed to be exceeding the 400kW standard set by the FIA.

The key to achieving a 50kW power increase is the energy density of sustainable fuels. Mercedes is supplied with fuel by Petronas.

When Formula 1 switched to "E10 fuel," a blend of 10% sustainably sourced plant-based ethanol, in 2022, Mercedes was thought to have experienced greater power loss than Honda. However, the differences in energy density between the sustainable fuels currently used by each manufacturer are not yet clear.

　Also, although it's often forgotten because it's currently considered resolved, F1 is planning to change the method for measuring engine compression ratios starting June 1st.

　Mercedes claims the impact of this change will be minimal, and furthermore, from 2027 onwards, measurements will no longer be taken at ambient temperatures, only under operating conditions. Even if there is an impact, the increase or decrease would likely only be a few horsepower.

And it seems that Mercedes currently has more than enough resources to handle that level of situation.

Red Bull Ford - Could this actually be a tailwind?

The partnership between Red Bull Powertrains and Ford Performance deserves nothing but praise. Despite being a PU making its F1 debut, it immediately demonstrated high competitiveness. Moreover, the fact that it managed to keep the gap with the Mercedes PU to within a few horsepower is an astonishing achievement.

　Of course, the contributions of experienced personnel are also significant. Project manager Ben Hodgkinson has been involved in Mercedes PU development for over 20 years. But even taking that into account, all the elements are working together extremely well.

　According to sources, the Red Bull Ford engine is about 10 to 15 horsepower behind the Mercedes engine.

Therefore, the team is hopeful that the 50kW increase required due to the increased fuel flow will be more than compensated for. Like Mercedes, if the design is successful, they may even exceed the 450kW target.

　Furthermore, the reduction in MGU-K output will be a boon for Red Bull. While the Red Bull PU's electric package itself is considered highly efficient, it is said that the engineers struggled to consistently extract the full 350kW output.

Red Bull stood out in cornering acceleration and reaching top speed quickly, but much of this is thought to be due to the benefits of a low-drag aerodynamic package rather than the performance of the MGU-K.

Therefore, limiting the MGU-K output to 300kW would likely reduce headaches for Red Bull's powertrain engineers.

Ferrari - Small turbo engines become a limitation.

Ferrari's challenge lies in its "small turbo" engines, which are gradually becoming a constraint compared to other manufacturers.

　It is known that Ferrari is developing its engines with the potential to benefit from ADUO. Currently, it is thought that Ferrari lags behind Mercedes by 2% in maximum engine output, and attention is focused on whether Ferrari can close that gap with additional updates.

The key question is whether Ferrari has already put countermeasures into their development line.

　The strength of the Ferrari PU lies in its starting performance. Anticipating the elimination of the MGU-H under the new regulations, Ferrari adopted a small turbocharger.

Since there is no MGU-H, it is not possible to immediately increase the turbo boost pressure at startup. Therefore, the aim was to minimize the decrease in response by using a small turbo with low inertia. However, due to adjustments in the starting procedure and advancements in control systems by each team, this advantage is gradually diminishing.

At present, Ferrari's advantage at the start is minimal, and is actually becoming a hindrance at higher speeds. Solving this problem will likely require larger turbochargers, as they can provide greater boost.

　Otherwise, even if increased fuel flow boosts ICE output, the weaknesses of the small turbo will become even more apparent, hindering Ferrari's performance.

Audi - One step forward, one step back

If Audi's PU is slightly lacking in absolute power output from the MGU-K, then this rule change should help improve that issue.

　Audi's first power unit is certainly commendable, but it still falls short of its rivals in terms of pure maximum output.

　According to sources, Audi had already begun prototype development of its 2027-spec power unit several months ago, aiming to get ahead of its rivals. The top priority in that development was undoubtedly extracting even more power from the internal combustion engine (ICE).

In terms of absolute power output, the Audi PU is not drastically behind the Ferrari PU. However, it is seen as somewhat inferior in terms of energy release (deployment). Furthermore, its tendency to have slower acceleration from a standstill compared to other manufacturers is also considered a problem.

　While Ferrari achieves quick acceleration performance with its small turbocharger, it has been suggested that Audi's turbocharger may have a relatively sluggish response as a trade-off for delivering greater power at top speeds.

For example, compared to the Racing Bulls, which are equipped with Red Bull-based PUs, the Audi PU demonstrates extremely high speed performance at high RPMs.

Even if the rule changes allow Audi to close some of the gap in hybrid systems, the pure power deficiency of the ICE remains, and the 2027 specification engine will aim to address this issue.

Honda - Even bigger challenges in engine development

For Honda, the 300kW limit on the MGU-K may not necessarily be a big help at this point.

　Aston Martin, which has been using Honda's power unit this season, has had a difficult start. In the early part of the season, reliability issues caused by vibrations meant that performance was a secondary concern, but it seems that the vibration problem has been resolved at the Miami Grand Prix.

However, now problems with the gearbox, which is manufactured in-house by Aston Martin, have come to light.

　On the other hand, the engine is thought to be 50 to 60 horsepower or more inferior to that of Mercedes. Therefore, Honda is expected to be granted two additional updates by ADUO.

The ADUO system, which was adjusted at the same time as the PU regulations were revised in 2027, added support for manufacturers whose engine output is more than 10% lower. If Honda's engine output is truly more than 50 horsepower lower than Mercedes', then Honda would fall into this category.

　In that case, Honda would have to invest an additional $19 million (approximately 3 billion yen) in development to catch up, in addition to the two updates.

However, raising the engine output target from 400kW to 450kW means Honda will face an even bigger challenge. That said, at this point, it's possible that the PU isn't performing at its best due to abnormal vibration issues. In that sense, there are still many unknowns.

The significant changes in Honda's development team compared to the Red Bull-Honda era also became a topic of discussion. It was reported that Adrian Newey, the team principal of Aston Martin, was surprised to learn that many engineers had been transferred to other projects within Honda. If Newey, who knows Honda well, was truly surprised by this fact, it may suggest that the two parties were not working together as closely as initially expected.

　Aston Martin and Honda are currently working closely together and diligently striving for improvement. The key to their future success will be whether they can solve the immediate problems they face.