Audi fears lead to more 2026 engine discussions – Formula One is having a crisis moment not of insignificant proportions. Just eight months before the long discussed new F1 power units are due to debut in testing, huge doubts are being raised over the specification of the new powertrains.
The difficulties the manufacturers are facing was something Christian Horner questioned back in 2023, when he revealed at circa tracks the battery would simply run out and required the combustion engine to act as a generator.
Bizarre scenarios have been aired, such as drivers having to lift and coast at Monza type circuits, just to regenerate the battery – hardly something which should be associated with F1. The root of the cause was the ambitious move from 80/20 ICE/Electrical output as is currently the case, to a 50/50 split thought to have been favoured by Audi and Mercedes. Honda too see their road car research and development in increasing the importance of electrical power.
Audi WEC system could be adapted
A meeting was held in Bahrain to discuss potential problems, with Audi again suggesting the new regulations allow electric harvesting from the front axle. This pathway was rejected by the FIA’s working party on the new power units previously, due to Audi’s extensive experience of this kind of technology in their World Endurance Championship sports cars.
As the regulations stand, only harvesting from braking can take place with the rear wheels, which is a mere 22% of the total braking power, so its clear adding front axle harvesting would indeed improve the generation of electricity at a stroke.
Ex-F1 car designer Gary Anderson believes any concerns over Audi stealing a march on the field were this to be introduced, should be set aside. He argues the front axle harvesting technology could become a standard specification component, either supplied by Audi or A.N. Other as currently are the ECUs, which are all made by McLaren.
Another wheeze in an attempt to prevent F1 becoming a laughing stock is that the current V6 turbo hybrid engine specifications and architectures remain the same. However the 350kw output from the electrical side be reduced to 200kw, around a loss of 200 Bhp.
A return to simpler engines closer than ever
In qualifying, where the charge can quickly be replenished in between runs while the cars are in the garage, the full power of the battery element is suggested to be allowed. There was a moment in time when it seemed the winds of the paddock were blowing in a direction that may see F1 quickly return to a more simple V10 technology with a KERS bolted on to the combustion engine.
Everything being done now in the name of “net zero” can easily be achieved with 100% renewable fuels and for many the expense and complexity of the power units in a world facing turbulent economic times is the wrong direction for Formula One.
The problem with allowing Audi to build a spec front harvesting system for all the teams, is that the system increases the weight of the cars, when the FIA has been desperate to decrease their bulky mass for 2026 by some 30kg. The likely resolution will be the enforced reduced electrical power in the Grand Prix, given this does not affect the designs the team’s are currently testing.
Ye t it is almost now certain, these new hybrids will have a much shorter life cycle than the current designs and less the the five years originally planned for. Today Cadillac was approved by the FIA as an official manufacturer from 2029 onwards. The American auto giant is not going to invest more than a hundred million dollars in designing and building a V6 turbo hybrid power unit which would run for just two seasons.
Russell discusses move with Red Bull
General Motors date slips on F1 power
It appears an early return to V8’s, V10’s or even V12’s is almost definitely on the cards. General Motors originally indicated they would have an all American built F1 power unit ready for 2028 and the reason for the delay is clear.
Which ever way the FIA and F1 resolve their current power unit crisis, these hybrid behemoths will have a much shorter lifespan than their creators originally envisaged. The United States are facing a calamitous financial future with the Trump enforced tariffs on imports almost certain to raise inflation.
Essential products which US companies require to trade will become more expensive, as will the final US sold product into which the imported component is fitted. There will be a drag on the US economy which will slow down business inn general and big US based corporations are already pulling their horns inward.
Formula One is backed heavily by US sponsors and partners and with a greater threat of recession in the United States, companies who spend big on marketing by associating with sport will rethink their strategy in the face of financial turbulence.
More than 50% of F1 sponsored from the USA
Ferrari and Mercedes have already admitted the Trump tariffs will affect some of their suppliers. “You can clearly see a negative mood among some of our partners in the US,” said Toto Wolff in Jeddah. “They don’t know what these tariffs mean for their business and what the long-term impact of the geopolitical situation will be.”
With his background in finance, Toto Wolff described the current goings on in the White House as a “socioeconomic experiment.”“It’s quite entertaining to watch CNN and then Fox News and try to figure out what’s really going on,” he said adding: “I’m not even supposed to say that.”
Wolff’s irony turned to concern when he began to discuss how the team’s are financed and the potential cost increases to components that travel to and from the US. “As a global racing series, Formula One relies heavily on international supply chains,” said the Mercedes boss.
“Many components – from chassis to high-tech electronics – come from different parts of the world.” If tariffs continue to rise, so too will the cost of importing these critical components, potentially impacting not only the bottom line but also on-track performance.
The concern is that sponsors may tighten their budgets or rethink their global marketing strategies in the face of a more volatile economic environment. This could have a knock-on effect throughout the paddock, forcing teams to reassess their spending and strategic planning. For Mercedes, often seen as a bellwether for the sport, the ability to maintain financial and operational stability could provide a much-needed sense of continuity.
MORE F1 NEWS – Report: The Red Bull wind tunnel truth exposed
Red Bull are the team which everyone seems to want to bring down something to which Christian Horner turns to repeatedly when he believes the `F1 media coverage of them has been unfair.
Broadcast by Netflix in 2023, the Red Bull team boss was recorded making the claim that in the UK this unfair treatment comes from the Lewis Hamilton fans, who are many. “When you’re competing against the most successful driver of all time and denying him winning, it’s inevitable we’re not going to be that popular with all the Lewis Hamilton fans,” he said while seated in his office.
“But we’re British based, 95 per cent of the people we employ are British. We just don’t have British drivers,” concludes Horner. Yet when Max Verstappen wins a Grand Prix, it is the Dutch and Austrian anthems which are played, for Hamilton it was the British and the German anthems at the time Horner was recorded, something which is also noted by the fans…. READ MORE ON THIS STORY
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