Honda expects Spa to be toughest energy management test yet for 2026 Formula 1 power units

Shintaro Orihara, Honda’s trackside general manager and chief engineer, said manufacturers would need to carefully balance electrical deployment, performance and reliability around the longest circuit on this year’s calendar.

“Spa is home to the longest track on the 2026 calendar, and it’s also one of the most popular amongst drivers and fans,” Orihara said. “It’s a technical circuit for the drivers, with complex corner sections.

"The combination of long straights and high-speed corners makes it a very challenging circuit for the engineers too, both to predict throttle application and looking at energy deployment over the course of the lap.”

Energy management has become a key factor under Formula 1's 2026 power unit regulations, which place greater emphasis on electrical power produced by the MGU-K.

Spa’s lengthy full-throttle sections will require manufacturers to carefully control how that electrical energy is deployed. However, Orihara said opportunities to recover energy around the lap would be relatively limited despite the circuit’s length.

“It will be a test for manufacturers in terms of energy management so we need to consider how we will deploy MGU-K power on the long straights,” he said.

“The harvesting here is quite limited, even considering the circuit length. This puts more emphasis on getting the deployment plan right.”

Honda must also ensure its power unit can withstand the sustained loads created by Spa’s long straights and high-speed sections.

“The straights are also a demand on the power unit in general – not only for performance but also for reliability,” Orihara said.

Honda has two races remaining before introducing a new engine specification. Orihara said information gathered with the current unit could also help preparations for other high-speed venues later in the season.

“We have two more races before we introduce the new engine,” he said. “It’s important to keep learning with this current spec, so we can take those energy deployment findings into future races – like Monza, where we also have the long straights.”

Spa’s unpredictable weather could create another challenge, with Honda yet to experience a fully wet competitive session under the new regulations.

“An added unknown is the changeable weather conditions at the circuit,” Orihara said. “At Silverstone it remained dry, so Spa could be the first time where we have proper wet conditions in a session.

"In terms of the weather, anything can happen here," the Honda F1 boss concluded.