As Lewis Hamilton crossed the finish line first in the Chinese Sprint race, all the paddock talk was about the British driver claiming an eighth world championship with Ferrari. Since then the British drivers hopes have been dashed, with his disqualification in the Chinese Grand Prix and a lowly P7 two weeks later in Japan.
Whilst this year three races in, Hamilton is in an improved position when compared to his worst F1 season in 2024, he lies eighth in the drivers’ title race with just 15 points, some 47 behind championship leader Lando Norris.
Yet whilst Hamiltons highs and lows in China were hitting the headlines another story was taking shape which is one of the most remarkable in recent F1 history. The FIA’s head of day to day F1 affairs, Nicholas Tombazis upset the applecart by appearing to suggest the new 2026 power units planned could be scrapped early or never used at all.
Almost a decade of delays in F1 power decisions
The current V6 turbo hybrids were originally expected to be replaced within six years, but with the FIA headed up by Jean Todt obsessed with introducing new power unit manufacturers the process became much more elongated as F1’s governing body set about finding a consensus over what form the next generation of F1 power should take.
Porsche were the headline act in this respect and from 2017 onwards they were involved along with other potential new suppliers in the FIA’s working party on the future of F1 power. After delays the revised plan was for new power units to be introduced in 2021, but Covid-19 saw them delayed another year.
Having failed to sign up new manufacturers in time, it was decided to freeze the design of the current powertrains from 2022-2025 and then find agreement for 2026 going forward. That agreement was not easy to find, with Ferrari and Red Bull advocating a return to simpler and much cheaper V8’s together with bio fuel to make the races carbon neutral in this respect.
Honda decided to drop out but following success with Red Bull in 2021 the Japanese auto manufacturer elected to do the F1 hokey cokey and step back in. Porsche’s interest fell away when Red Bull refused to give them 50% ownership of the Milton Keynes based team.
McLaren dismiss Red Bull’s ability to challenge them in 2025
Net gain of auto manufacturers for 20236 is ZERO
Audi were the only new auto manufacturer interested in joining the sport and began the tortured process of acquiring Sauber out of which would morph some day into the Audi F1 team. Red Bull decided they would become powertrain manufacturers having been left high and dry by both Renault and Honda decisions during the new turbo hybrid period.
So where do we now stand after nine years of dithering over the future of F1 power? Well Renault on a cost cutting exercise will close their historic engine facility at Viry in France, which means the net gain of auto manufacturers delivering a 2026 power unit is in fact zero.
Formula One and World Endurance Racing are the only global motorsports series who allow a number of manufacturers to supply the power units. Most other competitions like North America’s premier open wheel racing series Indycar limit the number of engine suppliers and some have just one specification of power.
In modern times the power of the manufacturers in F1 has grown and is a far cry from the days when Cosworth were building the all conquering DFV and supplying it to several teams across the grid at a bargain price by today’s standards. Cosworth dropped out of supplying F1 engines when the highly complex and expensive V6 hybrids made their debut in 2014.
Hamilton blames car for Leclerc deficit
Political decisions forced on F1
Despite almost a decade of debate over the new power units, with the manufacturers ruling the roost, F1 looks to be taking a new direction for the future of its power sources first indicated last June by Stefano Domenicali. On the day the FIA announced the final – and in real terms ‘late’ – specifications for the 2026 powertrains, the F1 supremo spoke about how politics had influenced the decision to continue with hybrids and with times changing the decision would probably not be made again today.
F1’s CEO said the decision was taken at a time when there was “a need for manufacturers to be involved in F1.” He went on to claim if the decision were being made today, its almost certain a different direction would be the optimum solution. He described F1 continuing with hybrid power from 2026 was “a compromise solution because of the different interests of all the different manufacturers, in fact,” he admitted.
Yet all F1’s pursuit of new manufacturers has produced is a top team now building their own power units, one dropping out of F1 and being replaced by another in Audi. Honda again dithered over their F1 involvement before deciding it was in fact in their interest to remain in the sport.
Years have been wasted bowing down to the power of the manufacturers of F1 power and it could be that the FIA and F1 are calling time on the power of the manufacturers in the sport. Of course this is complicated by Ferrari who are the mainstay of F1, but even the Italians believe the time and money wasted on hybrids should come to an end.
No unanimous decision required to ditch 2026 engines
Tombazis was keen to point out, any decision to scrap the 2026 hybrids early would not be taken without due consideration of all parties concerned. What he didn’t say was that a change of plan would require a unanimous decision amongst the OEM’s.
This weekend an extra-ordinary meeting will take place in Bahrain, where the FIA, F1 and the manufacturers signed up to 2026 sit down to talk. The very fact this topic is on the agenda is remarkable bur also does not bode well for the progress thats been made on some of the power trains in the planning for next season.
The pitch for a new direction is around a return to power units where the electrical component is significantly reduced. V10’s are making the headlines, but V8’s would also be a possibility and either turbo or normally aspirated engines are a potential.
Power unit manufacturers have held significant power in F1 and even at times have held the sport to ransom. A return to the kind of power units the likes of Cosworth are delivering, would save millions for customer teams and cut the barriers to entry for non-global auto manufacturers.
Cosworth building ‘greatest ever V12’
For Mercedes their uber dominant streak wining eight consecutive constructors’ titles was purely a marketing exercise. Instead of spending billions on advertising, their name was plastered across the sports pages each weekend. Yet should F1 be controlled by these global car players, or should we have simpler solutions to go racing whereby specialist engine builders can join the party.
Cosworth have recently designed what has been described as the “greatest V12 engine ever built.” It was the result of a collaboration between Gordon Murray and the midlands based engine builder. It will power the Gordon Murray hypercar T.50 and has one of the best power to weight ratios ever seen.
GMA and Cosworth whilst designing a revolutionary V12 for the T.50 have spent a fraction of the R&D the F1 manufacturers will spend on the new hybrid dinosaurs. Since F1’s commitment to hybrid the UK has banned new sales of these types of road cars from 2030 and the EU from 2035.
Hybrid has had its day and as a bridge form combustion engine to full electric has given comfort for those who could not initially put faith in a 100% electrical powered car. Yet hybrids are the worst of both worlds. There is the weight of the electrical component combined with a combustion engine. Fully electric is more efficient and bio fuelled combustion engines are way cheaper to produce.
Auto manufacturers power under F1 scrutiny
The fact Formula One so late in the day is debating the future of power units already in production is a sure sign somebody believes they are a very bad idea. Should they flop and deliver Frankensteins monster cars to manage them, the FIA will take the stick as they are the ones who create the regulations.
A seeming truce in the war between F1 and the FIA has been reached over this matter, which suggests F1 too is concerned about its future image with the new hybrids and wants to act fast to minimise any collateral damage to the sport.
Of course any reversal on the life span of the 2026 power units will be Formula One seeking to break the power and influence of the power unit manufacturers. Having them call the shots on the future over the nature of F1 power based upon their perceived needs in the road car market, was never a consideration early in the sports history. Maybe this move by the FIA and F1 is to ensure the power of the manufacturers to elongate decision making over several years is broken as well as preventing their multi-billion free advertising space deciding what is best for the future of F1.
Plans to eliminate boring F1 Grand Prix
UPDATE…
Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport is this afternoon now suggesting, the V10 idea is in fact a trojan horse designed to force the manufacturers to agree to a reduction in the electrical contribution of 50/50 in the planned 2026 hybrids. This has persistently been cited as problematic as the power new unites have been developing with Christian Horner describing in internal combustion engine merely operating as a generator for the battery at times to ensure sufficient electrical power output is achieved. This would be the predicted “Frankensteins monster.”
The Red Bull bosses original suggestion was to reduce the electrical output to just 40%, but so drastic are the problems being encounter a move to 70/30 and even 80/20 is being cited as possible ICE plots of power with the electrical components. One suggestion is for 2026 this is set at 80/20 and if successful reduced to 70/30 the following year.
To effect this decision four of the five current power unit manufacturers signed up would need to agree. Whilst Audi has stated its commitment is to hybrid and not V10s, this reduction in electrical contribution to output may be a more palatable solution for the German auto business, who will be encountering similar difficulties to their competitors.
Alpine’s private admission about Doohan revealed
As wait for the start of the 2025 Formula One season continued, the driver talk was all about Jack Doohan of Alpine and how long he would be racing for the team. Reports suggested his contract with the team was for just five of six races and then subject to a review.
Meanwhile the crafty old fox that is Flavio Briatore had signed Williams reserve driver Franco Colapinto, who impressed as he debuted for the sacked Logan Sargeant with none weekends of the 2024 season remaining.
The young Argentinian scored points in his second race, something Sargeant had been unable to do at all in his 37 F1 race career except for when Hamilton and Leclerc ahead of him were disqualified from the 2023 USGP. .. 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.
