How many components are present in a Formula 1 car's power unit?

We take a deep dive into an F1 car's most crucial and complex part.

A Formula 1 car's most expensive and essential part is its engine, it is called the ‘power unit’ because it is a hybrid part. There are six components in modern F1 power units, teams are only allowed to use limited numbers of engine components per season – if not followed, sustaining penalties for any parts taken beyond what was specified.

The six components of the F1 power unit-

1. Internal Combustion Engine (ICE)
2. Turbocharger (TC)
3. Motor Generator Unit-Kinetic (MGU-K)
4. Motor Generator Unit-Heat (MGU-H)
5. Energy Store
6. Control Electronics (CE)

A modern F1 engine is a hybrid engine, the most significant part of it is Internal Combustion Engine (ICE), which connects the chassis to the gearbox, The second component is the turbocharger (TC), which manages air density to generate extra engine power.

The F1 car power unit comprises two motors, first is Motor Generator Unit-Kinetic (MGU-K), which harnesses kinetic energy when the car is braking, and later one is Motor Generator Unit-Heat (MGU-H), which is connected to the turbocharger and harnesses excess energy from the exhaust.

The fifth part of the power unit is Energy Store, a V6 turbo engine, which stores electric energy. Eventually, all five elements are controlled by the final element, which is called Control Electronics (CE), as the name suggests it is the CPU (Central Processing Unit) of an F1 engine. Whereas CE is the small box, which connects 100 sensors in the F1 car, which collects all different data for the F1 car.

Changes in the future

So these are the following components that different drivers and teams utilise in the race weekend, while there are new regulations which FIA has approved that will be effective from 2026, resulting in more energy and less fuel used in F1 cars, however, new rules will carry on with the current 1.6 litres V6 Internal combustion engine.

The MGU-H will not be present from 2026 after a mutual decision was undertaken among the potential power unit suppliers for the grid three years down the line.

By 2026, new teams like Audi will be joining other teams in the circuit, so a new set of laws will make way for them. So, it will be interesting how Formula 1 power units will evolve in the coming years with add-ons.