Lab

Side experiments next to the simulator: models we build to understand the 2026 car, shown one at a time, with their assumptions. Estimates from public rules and physics, not team data.

Power unit · 3D · sea level vs Mexico City

Turbo at altitude

Charge air through an illustrative 2026 power unit, from the airbox to the tailpipe. Four steps from the airbox to the tailpipe, each with what the thin air of Mexico City (2,240 m) changes, and a chart of pressure and temperature along the way.

With no MGU-H, the turbo takes about 1.7× as long to spool up in Mexico City, whatever the boost.

Explore in 3DThe spool-up

The power unit layout is illustrative, not any team's engine: dimensions from the FIA 2026 Technical Regulations (Section C) where they are fixed, everything else a labelled assumption. Unofficial fan project. Not affiliated with Formula 1, the FIA, any team or circuit. · @m_lubieniecki