Fans to hear 'new soundscape' in '26, says Mercedes

Mercedes engine chief Hywel Thomas says Formula 1 fans will need to prepare for an entirely new acoustic experience when the 2026 power unit regulations come into effect.

Although the engines will retain the current 1.6-litre V6 format and remove the MGU-H, Thomas warned that the most noticeable change from trackside will be in how and when the engines make noise.

“Normally, the engines run at low revs when braking and cornering,” Thomas explained. “In the future, the revs and thus the noise level will increase noticeably, even though the cars aren’t actually accelerating.”

This unusual sound pattern is a result of how teams must compensate for the higher electrical demands of the new hybrid setup. With the MGU-H no longer available to convert exhaust energy into electrical power, the cars will need to recover more energy elsewhere, particularly under braking.

“We had to come up with something,” said Thomas. “The engine switches to full-throttle mode when braking and cornering to produce additional energy, which we feed directly into the battery. So, for parts of a lap, the engine acts as a generator.”

As a result, fans can expect to hear high-rev engine noise in parts of the track where they would usually expect silence or lift-off, a potentially jarring experience for some.

While some had hoped the removal of the MGU-H would bring back a more classic F1 engine sound, Thomas urged restraint in expectations.

“The sound will only change slightly,” he said. “This isn’t necessarily due to the removal of the MGU-H, but rather due to the changes to the turbo. The backpressure is reduced because the turbo doesn’t have to drive the electric motor. This results in a slightly louder sound.

“But on the other hand, only three-quarters of the amount of fuel that goes into the engine is available. On the test bench, we observed a similar noise level as before.”

The first 2026-spec Mercedes engines are set to begin production soon at the manufacturer’s Brixworth facility, ahead of deployment with McLaren, Williams, Alpine, and the factory Mercedes team.