Every Formula 1 (F1)car is powered by something called a ‘power unit ’, basically a very advanced hybrid engine. It is not just one part. It’s actually seven separate pieces working together, and the FIA only allows each driver to use a limited number of each across the whole season.
The seven parts are:
- ICE – Internal Combustion Engine, which is the traditional petrol engine part
- Turbocharger (TC) – forces more air into the engine for extra power
- MGU-K – an electric motor that recovers energy under braking and gives power back to the wheels
- Energy Store (ES) – the battery that stores the electric energy
- Control Electronics (CE) – the computer brain that manages everything
- PU-ANC – Power Unit Auxiliary Components, smaller supporting parts
- Exhaust (EX) – carries gases away from the engine
2026 is a brand-new engine era for F1. The old MGU-H has been scrapped, and the electric motor MGU-K has been made roughly three times more powerful, so that about half the car’s power now comes from electricity rather than petrol.
Because this technology is so new, the FIA gave every driver one bonus part per component for 2026 only, so teams have a bit of breathing room while they get reliability sorted out.
But, from 2027, those bonus parts will disappear, and the allowances will get stricter.
How many parts is a driver actually allowed?
Here’s the full penalty-free allowance for the 2026 season:
| Component | Allowed per season |
| ICE | 4 |
| Turbocharger | 4 |
| MGU-K | 3 |
| Energy Store | 3 |
| Control Electronics | 3 |
| PU-ANC | 6 |
| Exhaust | 4 |
If a driver needs to fit an extra part beyond that number, they get a penalty. The penalty system works like this: The first time a driver goes over the limit on any component, they lose 10 grid places, and every time after that, they lose a further 5 places each.
For example, if a driver needs one extra Energy Store and one extra Control Electronics unit in the same season, that’s a 10-place penalty for the first one, plus 5 more for the second, which means 15 places in total.
Who’s already broken the limit?
Three drivers have already gone over their allowance somewhere on the power unit this season:
- Isack Hadjar has needed a fourth Energy Store and a fourth Control Electronics unit.
- Fernando Alonso has gone one extra on MGU-K, Energy Store and Control Electronics
- Lance Stroll has needed two extra Energy Stores and two extra Control Electronics units so far.
Based on the penalty formula, a 15-place hit for Hadjar, around 20 places for Alonso, and as many as 25 places for Stroll across the season till now.
How many power units has each driver used so far?
| Driver | ICE (4) | TC (4) | MGU-K (3) | ES (3) | CE (3) | ANC (6) | EX (4) |
| Lando Norris | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 2 |
| Oscar Piastri | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| George Russell | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 3 |
| Kimi Antonelli | 3 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 |
| Max Verstappen | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| Isack Hadjar | 4 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Charles Leclerc | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| Lewis Hamilton | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 2 |
| Alex Albon | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 |
| Carlos Sainz | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 |
| Liam Lawson | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| Arvid Lindblad | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| Fernando Alonso | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 2 |
| Lance Stroll | 3 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 3 |
| Esteban Ocon | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 2 |
| Oliver Bearman | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Nico Hulkenberg | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 |
| Gabriel Bortoleto | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| Pierre Gasly | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| Franco Colapinto | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| Valtteri Bottas | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| Sergio Perez | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
There are still several race weekends left in 2026, and every one of them is a chance for an engine part to wear out, break, or simply need replacing to keep performance up.
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