Towards the end of the first decade of this millennium, the FIA to make the sport more relevant to ordinary folk and designed a set of regulations to reflect the road cars of the future. Hybrid engines were believed to be the next big thing in terms of power, and so the V8’s were ditched and the V6 1.6L turbo hybrid F1 power unit was born.

Mercedes had bought the one year wonder Brawn GP team in 2010 and they set about the task of building the new FIA specification motor, with great vigour. $1bn of R&D later, the soon to be uber dominant F1 power train went into production.

 

 

 

F1 predicting the future

Then ten years on from their last review, the FIA decided the sport required more power unit manufacturers, given Red Bull’s fall out with Renault almost left them without propulsion for their cars. A number of voices in the sport, including Christian Horner, argued that a return to normally aspirated engines with bio fuel was the way to go, but Mercedes in particular resisted this and so the next generation of power trains will again be with hybrid power.

Of course F1’s gamble on hybrid being the future was incorrect, as the number of battery only road cars now being sold is outperforming their bastardised siblings.

So the fans of their beloved sport for the next decade or so, will now have the next generation of hybrid power rammed down their throats into the next decade before the sport addresses the issue once again.

Whilst Liberty Media are getting some stick at the moment over the whole Andretti affair and face an investigation from the US Justice department for anti-competitive practices, there is light at the end of the tunnel for petrol heads given the comments from FOM boss., Stefano Domenicali following the FIA’s big launch of the coming 2026 regulation changes.

Verstappen reacts to Perez contract

 

 

 

F1 boss believes heavy hybrid units should be ditched

The F1 chief is hoping that the synthetic fuels which will power the internal combustion engines of the 2026 cars will be a huge success, then F1 could eventually ditch its dependence on the hefty hybrid units and return to its historic roots.

“F1 has always been seen as having the lightest and best cars, so if sustainable fuels are successful we could go back to a situation where the battery is not needed any more,” he said speaking to CNBC.

The first hybrid units came to F in 2009 as add ons to the V8 normally aspirated engines, it was 2014 when the V6 turbo hybrid deigns we see today first debuted in the sport. A long term deal was agreed with Saudi oil company Armco to develop sustainable fuels for use in F1 and the feeder series.

Many question whether e-fuels can be efficiently produced in sufficient quantities at an affordable price, yet Domenicali claims F1 is pushing the agenda forward on behalf of Armco who wish to prove their is an alternative to expensive EV’s.

Ocon stood down for Canada

 

 

 

Saudi survival depends on F1 project

“We are not lobbying for anyone, we are thinking of the best future for everyone,” he said. “It’s a very complex subject and we need to be more prudent than a lot of people that are talking without knowing the complexity of this transition.”

Yet as the war Ukraine is proving the old saying, “necessity is the mother of invention” to be true. Saudi’s economy is entirely dependent on oil revenues and the Armco company will do everything in its power to prove that decarbonised fuels are the way of the future.

Six engine manufacturers are now on board for the big rules changes coming in 2026 as Audi and Ford join the existing four in the sport today. If the teams and Liberty Media ever get their acts together, this could become seven given the interest of GM via the Cadillac brand.

Posting on his instagram story, Damon Hill who won the 1996 F1 drivers’ title suggested the new regulations could entice legendary F1 car designer back to the sport. Newey has proven to be one of the greatest engineering minds the sport has ever seen winning a combined 25 titles over the course of his career.

Mercedes claim to be ahead of rivals in 2026 engine race

 

 

 

New rules for Newey?

The Red Bull guru is departing the company in February next year with most believing he’ll end up at Ferrari. Yet the Mercedes AMG F1 team valued at over $3bn have made Newey an offer which includes equity.

“Open goal for Newey?” wrote Hill as he looked ahead to F1’s new era. Yet unlike the legendary Gordon Murray who is up their with Newey when considering the innovations he brought to the sport; Newey is not an engine man, but one who is said to “see the wind.”

His aerodynamics genius alone will not be enough to propel any team to the front of the grid, it will be a blend of the new power units and the interpretation of the aero rules that will see one team come out ahead of the rest in just under two years time.

Further, if Red Bull are to be believed, Newey’s influence in recent years on their F1 cars has waned. Frenchman, Pierre Wache has been technical director since 2018 and Newey had a floating role able to offer input wherever he felt it would count. 

Marko spills the beans on Red Bull latest goings on

 

 

 

F1 claim 2026 cars will be “nimble” is ludicrou

Formula One cars have over the years become behemoths when compared to cars of yesteryear. In 1995 the minimum eight of the car including the driver was set at 595kg and over the next 19 years the cars crept up in weight by an additional 47kg. In 2014 the introduction of the V6 turbo hybrids saw the cars leap in single year by 52kg and now the 2024 cars are a whopping 798kg including the driver and 898kg with the maximum fuel load.

Today the FIA trumpeted its new regulations for 2026 claiming the intention was to make the cars more “nimble”. The wheelbase will be reduced from 3600mm to 3400mm, and the width of the current monsters from 2000mm to 1900mm. Additionally, the maximum floor width will be decreased by 150mm, removing the ugly sticky out bits which we see on the cars today… READ MORE