Formula One likes to believe it is at the cutting edge of auto motive technology and indeed its successes are well documented. Both road cars and racing cars were once built by way of creating a chassis, then adding the body work on top of it.
F1 created the monocoque body, which incorporates the two together into one much stronger and safer cell for the driver and passengers. Seatbelts were an early invention, although F1 drivers were initially skeptical. Some preferred to be thrown tens of metres from their when when crashing due to the fear of being burned alive whilst trapped in the wreckage.
Semi-automatic gearboxes with paddle shifters were another innovation, much circuited by petrol heads at the time like Jeremy Clarkson. Active suspension was another F1 first as was the development of many of the lightweight materials now found in modern day road cars.
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Kinetic energy recovery was another F1 development which then morphed into the modern widely used hybrid designs which were researched and designed by F1 engineers from as early as the turn of the millennium. Hybrid was seen to be the future by the European car manufacturers in particular as the green agenda began to gain momentum.
And so the first truly hybrid F1 power units came into existence for the 2014 season. Mercedes aced their design, yet this could have been something to do with the fact they spent a reported $1bn on R&D in the years preceding. The French owned Renault team may have spent around a tenth of the Mercedes budget and it quickly showed.
Yet hybrid comes at a cost with battery technology still in relative primitive forms back in 2014. Since the introduction of the first electrical recovery systems in Formula One the weight of the cars has ballooned from 595kg to this year 798kg. Of course some of this is due to the introduction of the halo (7kg) and the larger wheels mean the tyres are a little heavier too. Yet year on year the cars become more cumbersome and much less nimble unlike their V8 predecessors with the high pitched scream associated with F1 for decades.
As Red Bull lurched towards their next impending power unit supply crisis in 2021, when Honda stated they were with drawing from the sport, Christian Horner again advocated a return to V8 engines, something he suggested during the time Renault supplied the Milton Keynes based squad with hybrids.
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“We see that costs of the current engine are extremely prohibitive,” explained Horner to motorsport.com. ”It was not thought of when this engine was conceived, and I think there’s a fantastic opportunity for what could arguably be the engine for 10 years, when it’s introduced, to do something a little bit different.”
Costs for the new F1 V6 hybrids more than doubled overnight at their introduction and for some of the smaller teams this represented more than 20% of their annual budget. Horner continued his plea by moving to another argument.
“I think it has to address the emotion, the sounds, and yes, of course, it has to tick the sustainable boxes. But, I think it still needs to be entertaining – otherwise, we should all go and do Formula E.
“Hopefully, the collective minds can come up with something attractive for 2025, or what would be more sensible is do the job properly for 2026,” concluded the Red Bull boss.
Porsche drive the future direction
At the time Red Bull’s plan was to buy the intellectual property of the current Honda F1 power unit and run it themselves until th next iteration of power units due in 2025. Yet Horner had ob a number of occasions advocated a return to the V8 power units knowing full well it would be a far simpler task for his team to manufacture an engine with technology over a century old, than build a highly complex and sophisticated hybrid.
His cry was to fall on deaf ears as the FIA were determined to bring into the sport more OEM’s or auto manufactures to us mere mortals. Porsche were heavily involved with the FIA power unit working group from as early as 2017 and pressed hard for the retention of the hybrid style power units on the promise they would join F1 when the new regulations came into force. Of course there was to was no coincidence their WEC hybrid was ruling the roost at the time.
Ironically Porsche never joined F1 when the new power units for 2026 was agreed although their sporting rivals Audi intend to have a go. Yet reports from Germany on the progress of Audi’s new F1 power unit are not encouraging, once again demonstrating understanding the complexity of these beasts, is no simple task.
Hybrid engines for road cars are now on the wain. Electric is the new vision companies are striving towards with 23% of all new cars this year in the UK expected to be fully battery powered. Hybrid will be banned from sale in the UK and Europe from 2035 and so F1’s hopes and dreams laid down almost ten years ago for next year’s new power units, are an embarrassment as they are already irrelevant.
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Saving grace for the FIA
The saving grace for F1 is as they simultaneously they made the wrong decision over engine architecture, they embraced the notion bio fuels which will be 100% green from 2026. In terms of a global impact, creating a bio fuel which can be easily replicated at a cost effective price point could be ugh solution to the existing 2 billion combustion engined vehicles in existence around the world today.
As the FIA finalised their specification for next year’s new power units last June, the first sign of cracks in the ‘hybrid is the future’ facade became visible as F1 supremo Stefano Domenicali made his feelings clear on the matter.
“Things have developed so quickly that today a decision might be different from two years ago. I am not an engineer, but I must have a vision of what the sport will look like in the future. I can imagine that with the next regulations, we could limit ourselves to sustainable fuel. If we are able to show that we produce zero emissions with it, we can focus on other important aspects of sustainability,” said the man who runs the day to day operations of Liberty Media’s investment.
Domenicali confirms the decision to go and remain hybrid was significantly influenced by the FIA’s desperate need to find new manufacturers and in turn the view of those potential F1 recruits on what they would like to see powering an F1 car.
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F1 chief admits politics played their part
“You always have to keep an eye on the political climate of the time,” he said. “There were moments when we were asked to go completely electrified. We stuck to the hybrid solution and then realised that with sustainable fuel we could show the world that there are other technologies.”
In an earlier interview with CNBC, Domenicali went further. “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.”
“As soon as the 2026 regulations are defined, we will start to think about what the next steps will be, such as the 2030 engine,” said F1’s big boss.
“It is a personal consideration of mine, not yet shared with the teams, even if we have spoken about it with the FIA, that if sustainable fuels work, we will need to carefully evaluate whether to continue with hybrid (technology) or whether better solutions will be available,” concluded Domenicali.
Just five years max for next F1 engine era
The shocking part of Domenicali’s statement is the time frame the next iteration of hybrid power units have remaining. He talks of the next F1 new engine by 2030, meaning these weighty beasts have just five years before they will be consigned to history.
As he so rightly stated, the problem had been getting the FIA on board to ditch the current monsters arriving next year something the drivers to a man all hate. “I would definitely get rid of the hybrid,” said Max Verstappen to motorsport.com
“I think all the time, when I jump back in a V8, I am always so surprised at how smooth the engine is.” Max highlights one of the downsides in that “the top speed is slow compared to what we have now, but it’s just the pick-up of the engine, and the torque. It’s so smooth the whole delivery process: the downshift, and the upshifts. It’s so much more natural to what we have.”
Well now there is light at the end of the tunnel. In a remarkable show of unity, the FIA’s president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has gone public stating for the first time that he too believes the future of F1 power will the hybrid units coming in 2026 ditched. Given the war of words which has transpired between him and Domenicali’s crew this is nothing short of a miracle.
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FIA president now accepts hybrids must be ditched
“This week’s F1 launch in London has triggered a lot of positive discussion on the future of the sport,” the governing body’s president wrote on social media. “While we look forward to the introduction of the 2026 regulations on chassis and power unit, we must also lead the way on future technological motorsport trends.”
Of course completely falling into line with Domenicali and Horner by agreeing the new engines should return to being V8’s, Ben Sulayem leaves a small amount of blue water between this rivals and himself.
“We should consider a range of directions including the roaring sound of the V10 running on sustainable fuel. Whichever direction is chosen, we must support the teams and manufacturers in ensuring cost control on R&D expenditure.”
Domenicali had previously referred to inoriving the noise of the cars in August last year. “If sustainable fuel is doing the right job to be zero emission and we are taking the point of sustainability in the right way – maybe we don’t need anymore to be so complicated or so expensive in terms of engine development,” Domenicali told Motorsport.com last August.
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Cadillac will never build an F1 hybrid PU
“So we may think to go back to engines that are much lighter and maybe with a good sound.” This is a quite remarkable agreement between the FIA and F1 who appear perpetually to be at odds, even if just to spite the other.
TJ13 has commented in recent weeks on the rapid U-Turns done by F1 on the Andretti/Cadillac application to join F1. Of course now rebranded as the General Motors brand with now reference to Andretti now, the attention turned to when the auto manufacturer could deliver their own F1 power unit.
2028 was the earliest date offered by Andretti when they introduced the partnership to the world, yet is wold be crazy for Cadillac to develop a monstrously expensive V6 hybrid power unit for it to be dumped on the scrap heap juts two years later.
As TJ13 has claimed, Cadillac will never build one of the current monster powertrains in the pipeline but focus their attentions on 2023 and being ahead of the game. Formula One will finally return to its roots, having the lightest and quickest racing series on the planet and the fans will be glad the sixteen year experiment with hybrid is over.
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Hamilton’s Ferrari reportedly “very fast”
A leap forward in speed in simulations claim an insider when describing Ferrari’s new SF-25 – Scuderia Ferrari appears to have made significant progress with its latest Formula 1 contender, the SF-25. A report from Italy suggests that the team has achieved a major breakthrough in the car’s performance compared to last season. While the actual speed of the SF-25 remains to be seen on track, early indicators from Ferrari’s simulator paint an optimistic picture.
So how fast is Ferrari’s 2025 challenger? The answer will be revealed at the official pre-season test in Bahrain at the end of February and, more definitively, at the season-opening race in Australia a few weeks later. However, if current predictions hold true, Ferrari could have closed the gap – or even surpassed – their top rivals from last season.
According to Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, Ferrari’s design philosophy for the SF-25 has paid off handsomely. The team’s simulator data reportedly shows a gain of four-tenths of a second per lap compared to the end of the 2024 season…. READ MORE
With over 30 years of experience in Formula 1 as an insider journalist, I have built trusted connections across the paddock, from race engineers and mechanics to senior team figures. At The Judge 13, I and a handful of trusted colleagues share exclusive Formula 1 news, expert analysis and behind-the-scenes stories you will not find in mainstream motorsport media.
