Mercedes Ready To Drop Motor Generator Unit Heat Tech To Facilitate VW Group Entry In F1

The MGU-H or Motor Generator Unit Heat has been a contentious part of the cutting edge engines of the V6 turbo hybrid era of F1. It is one of the technically most sophisticated parts which has cost the engine manufacturers a lot of money in R&D. Red Bull, now that it has taken over the Honda IP,  and has been lobbying for its elimination as F1, the manufacturers anc the FIA decide the next engine Formula. Mercedes which has had the best engine in the turbo-hybrid era of the sport till now has been unwilling to let of the MGU-H as it is a competitive advantage something that will carry forward to 2025 and beyond but now Mercedes F1 boss, Toto Wolff has said that it is willing to make that concession to facilitate the entry of the Volkswagen group into the sport as a constructor and potentially as an engine manufacturer. 

"I think it's a compromise that, I can't speak for anybody else, but at Mercedes, we are prepared to enter in order to facilitate the entry of the Volkswagen Group. But there are several other topics where compromise needs to be found," said the co-owner of the Mercedes F1 team. 

Toto Wolff is the head of Mercedes motorsport and the 33% owner of the F1 team 
Photo Credit: AFP

"And, if compromise cannot be found, then we will probably revert to the governance and have 2026 regulations that the FIA and FOM are going to come up with," he warned. 

F1 wants the cost of the engines to go down which has been significantly high and also wants to attract new manufacturers particularly after the exit of Honda from the sport. Audi and Porsche which are two Volkswagen group brands have shown interest in entering F1 and have been part of these working group meetings. 

It also appears that Red Bull with its new Powertrains division and Volkswagen are looking at collaborating when F1 enters an era for the new engines which could be between 2025 and 2026. Ferrari also wants a new V4 type engine which is powered by biofuel and electric motors, though Alpine and Renault are looking at a continuation of the current formula with some changes.