F1 News, Reports and Race Results

Teams awarded extra MGU-K for boosted 2020 season

Formula 1 teams will see their MGU-K limit increase from two to three elements in 2020 to help engine manufacturers cope with next year's record 22-race schedule.

Save for the energy store and control electronics component limits which remain at two, all other elements - ICE, MGU-H and MGU-K - will enjoy a three-component limit next season.

Some teams and manufacturers argued for an across-the-board increase of all elements for 2020 while others were against any raise. In the end, the compromise including only a third MGU-K was agreed.

Renault's Cyril Abiteboul, who strongly defended the idea of adding an extra MGU-K, said the compromise would implement a decision already agreed upon in principle for 2021.

"Obviously it makes sense," Abiteboul told Motorsport.com.

"It was planned for 2021, so we are applying the principle that was agreed for 2021 to 2020, even though it wasn’t in the regulations for 2020.

"Despite that common sense doesn’t always apply in F1, and indeed it was a bit of a struggle.

"We reached that compromise in Budapest. I understand it was a bit difficult to get people to stick to their word [in the summer break vote], but eventually this is what happened."

Abiteboul underscored the fact that allowing a third MGU-K would also lighten the burden for mechanics as changing the component without swapping a unit's other elements is a complicated and time-consuming affair.

"At the moment there is a discrepancy between the number of internal combustion engines and the number of MGU-Ks, three and two," he added.

"And that can create a chaos for the mechanics. The MGU-K is mounted on the ICE, so it makes an awful lot of sense to get the same allocation for both.

"Some people in F1 don’t care about that, but we do.

"It was important for us to get exactly the same number, and especially with the season getting longer and more flyaway races, and more back-to-backs."

Gallery: The beautiful wives and girlfriends of F1 drivers

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter

Michael Delaney

Recent Posts

Domenicali calls for calm and a plan as Ferrari eyes 2026 reset

Formula 1’s most polished powerbroker has seen this movie before – and Stefano Domenicali is…

1 hour ago

Verstappen puts Bathurst 1000 Supercar event on bucket list

Max Verstappen’s racing curiosity has never been confined to Formula 1 – and now, one…

3 hours ago

Vowles warns 2026 weight limit will catch F1 teams out

When F1’s radically redesigned 2026 cars finally roll out in Barcelona at the end of…

17 hours ago

Why Verstappen isn’t expecting much running at F1’s first test

Max Verstappen has never been one to sugar-coat reality – and as Formula 1 braces…

19 hours ago

Revolut’s CMO slams Ferrari: ‘How can you put blue on a red car?’

Ferrari have survived decades of criticism about strategy calls, driver politics and pit stops that…

20 hours ago

Mercedes 2026 advantage in doubt after concerning claim

While the paddock has been whispering for months that Mercedes might be holding the winning…

21 hours ago