F1’s boss proposes DRASTIC measures to quickly change 2026 power regulations – At the 2025 Formula One weekend in Bahrain, there was big trouble discussed by those in charge of the sport. Last June when the FIA announced the final specifications for the all new F1 power units coming on line next season, the boss of the sport, Stefano Domenicali, almost immediately sounded the alarm bells.
Rather than celebrate the next era of F1 power, the ex-Ferrari team boss in bizarre fashion started a debate over how the future of the F1 engines needed to change. “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 F1 supremo.
He cited “political” reasons for why the 2026 power units would remain complex and eye waveringly expensive hybrids, with the suggestions that F1’s desperation to attract more manufacturers had handed the keys to the kingdom to the likes of Audi and Mercedes.
No increase in new F1 auto manufacturers
The reality of this costly mistake has been seen in the withdrawal of Renault from the F1 power unit supplier list, as the French auto manufacturing company attempts to reel in the huge amount of spend it makes in Formula One. And whilst Cadillac are joining the sport, they have admitted the earliest they could design and build one of these new hybrid power units is 2028 or 2029.
So with Red Bull deciding to build their own power units going forward, for completely different reasons than the FIA expected, the net gain in producers of F1 power has been the grand total of one. Decisions on the F1 future being hybrid were taken when the world of auto manufacturing believed this would be popular with their customers who were afraid of committing to fully electric cars.
Yet they were wrong, badly wrong to the point that new hybrid road car sales will be banned in the UK from 2030 and in Europe from 2035. Hybrid motor cars contain the worst of both worlds in the power units. They have the significant weight of a battery, which delivers a very modest range, whilst retaining the complexity of a combustion engine burning carbon based fuels.
It is no longer the auto manufacturers driving the future power of our road cars, but governments in their rush to net zero. To this end the UK has targeted some 28% of all new car sales sold this year must be electric – not electric and hybrid. Further, down the road is coming legislation on to decarbonise the fuel used to run the existing combustion engines – of which there are some 2 billion currently in operation around the world.
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In its haste to embrace the hybrid, targets were agreed between the FIA and the manufacturers that the total output of the 2026 power units must be from an electrical source – the battery. This improving to be difficult to achieve, with senior voices in the sport suggesting at times the combustion engine will merely be used to generate electrical power which can then be deployed. Utterly ridiculous.
Of course the fuel used next year in F1 will be 100% sustainable which begs the question why a combustion engine must make green power in the form of electricity to then deploy it to power the cars? It makes no sense. The fact that electrical power deployed has significantly amounts more torque than a combustion engine, will be lost on most fans of Formula One.
Earlier this year the president of the FIA declared he saw the future of F1 power is V10’s using sustainable fuels. This followed similar comments by Domenicali in June 2024, although he cited it would be V8 power. Come the race weekend in China last month, it appeared a crisis was looming in the paddock, as rumours of a huge disparity between the performance of the various manufacturers’ F1 2026 power units spread like wildfire.
A meeting was called by the president of the FIA to be held at the Bahrain Grand Prix, with at least one team calling for the retention of the current engines while the next generation of F1 power was quickly decided. It appeared that Ferrari and Red Bull are keen to ditch the 2026 hybrids as soon as possible, Mercedes were open to the idea while Honda were undecided and Audi firmly in favour of continuing as is.
Lighter, less expensive engines with compelling sound
Today Stefano Domenicali has revealed some of the content of the discussions in an interview published by motorsport.com. What is clear from the F1 supremo’s comments is there is big trouble coming down the line for next year’s F1 competition. It looks to have been established that certain power unit manufacturers are way behind others in terms of the performance their tests are showing and Stefano Domenicali is calling for a Catch up mechanism to be introduced as soon as possible.
Whilst talks of F1 being “strategic” and not “tactical” in F1’s approach to the future, it is clear a pragmatic solution is required – and desperately soon. “We’re on the brink of a major regulatory shift, and I personally believe it’s crucial that the system allows for a faster recovery if a manufacturer falls behind significantly. That’s an issue we must address quickly – it could happen to anyone.”
With strict cost restrictions and testing limited for each of the F1 power unit manufacturers, it was expected the likes of Mercedes could not do a 2014 and simply outspend the rest and delivering an all conquering power solution. This may be the case but the elephant in the room is now whether one or more of the manufacturers have significantly dropped the ball, which is why rescue procedures are now the order of the day.
“Having one dominant team for too long is bad for everyone. Our sport is growing incredibly and has become a global benchmark. We should be proud of that – but also cautious,” he says. The boss of F1 had an air of “I told you so” about previous comments he made two years ago, when he was pressing for the 2026 power units to be lighter and less expensive together with a more compelling sound than the current low grumble the V6 hybrids make.
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“Two years ago I shared my strategic vision for F1’s future,” he claims, “and that’s exactly what’s now emerging,” from the latest F1 crisis talks.
Being cutting edge does not always mean re-inventing the wheel and Formula One is clearly heading back to a simpler form of power with combustion engines at the heart of the cars, running on bio fuels and with the assistance of a KERS type simple power boost as was introduced way back in 2009.
Renault have bailed on producing F1 engines, something they’ve been doing for the best part of half a century. Further, the history of F1 shows the manufacturers are fickle when it comes to global economic financial turmoil, with Honda, Toyota, Ford and others quitting at short notice.
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This is the reason Red Bull took the extraordinary decision to build their own version of the highly complex V6 hybrids next year. But it would be better if this were not the case and there was a much more simple solution to F1 power, which is not dependent on global manufacturers.
“That’s why we must simplify and significantly reduce costs, while maintaining a technical link to road-relevant technologies – like sustainable fuels, which can complement EV offerings. If a crisis forces some to pause their F1 programmes, we’ll be in a position to respond independently and find alternatives,” concludes the newly re-appointed boss of Formula One.
Drastic times require drastic measure and the subject of F1 power for next year has moved on quickly. How the FIA and F1 will agree any catch up procedures for any of the 2026 power unit suppliers is yet to be seen, although there is also the implication is one of the power producers aces the design whilst the rest do not. A handicap could be employed to prevent another decade of Mercedes style power dominance.
The good news for F1 fans is the future of the engines in the sport will be returning to those reminiscent of F1’s golden age of power. The likes of smaller companies like Cosworth will be back in the game most likely, given their recent V12 offering for the T.50 hypercard is being described as the greatest V12 ever built.
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From hero to zero in just four Formula One weekends, Liam Lawson who finished the career of Australian Daniel Ricciardo is facing a bleak future in motorsport’s top category. Having been surprisingly promoted ahead of Yuki Tsunoda to replace Sergio Perez at Red Bull Racing, the New Zealand born driver is facing a crisis of confidence.
The decision to demote Lawson back to the Racing Bulls after juts two outings in Red Bull colours was treated in some quarters of the paddock with outrage. Yet strangely a consensus has since developed that for a variety of reasons the Milton Keynes management made the right decision.
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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.
