The FIA has revealed that it is planning to introduce a “spectacular” overtake button for its new era of power units, which are set to be introduced in 2025.
Formula One is yet to decide exactly what power units will be used from then, but the sport will continue to have a hybrid engine formula of some sort.
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In an interview last week, the FIA’s head of engines, Gilles Simon, said the batteries used in the new engine formula will be considerably more powerful, and he added that they are carefully thinking about how to keep costs under control.
“We benefit from the experience of the engineers from the last 20 years. With this knowledge, we are now able to simplify many things in design,” Simon told Auto Motor und Sport (AMuS).
“The current rules were written more than 10 years ago. At that time, we were still very afraid there would be a costly arms race in the field of electric propulsion.
“That’s why we set limits on charging and releasing energy. Today, we would allow more freedoms because we have more experience.
“Manufacturers get the most out of the batteries we use today. The future batteries will be slightly larger but much more powerful. They will be the best on the market.
“We may still be setting a limit on the power we get out of the batteries, but let manufacturers more freely determine how they manage that energy within that limit. This allows manufacturers to differentiate themselves.
“We try to slow down costs by prescribing battery technology, but then let it play 100 percent free with what they have.”
Continuing, he outlined their plans to introduce a powerful overtake button which drivers can deploy as they see fit over the course of a grand prix.
“We are working on such models. This includes the fact the driver can use extra power for overtaking manoeuvres in the race. We will come up with a spectacular solution.
“With today’s technology, this would be easy to make visible to viewers on the TV screen via graphics. You can then see when the driver is using the extra power or how much he still has in reserve,” Simon concluded.
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