While the headline changes in the power unit regulations for the new Formula 1 era in 2026 centre around the mix of power between internal combustion and electrical deployment, the way the FIA measures, controls, and interprets the fuel that reaches the engine through the flow meter is shifting too.
The dual verification system required a profound evolution, given the move to 100% sustainable fuels. As we explained in our first look at the new fuel flow regime, the reference parameter will remain in kg/h (ie the mass flow rate of the fuel), but from this season that value will be converted directly by the Engine Control Unit into an energy flow rate, using the energy density and calorific value of each fuel, certified by an independent body before the car takes to the track.
