The 2025 Formula One season is developing nicely into a battle between McLaren’s Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri together with Max Verstappen for the F1 drivers championship. The constructors’ title race looks to be a runaway certain for McLaren but Ferrari have yet to get up and running and Mercedes’ with rookie driver Kimi Antonelli and George Russell are making game for now of the team championship.
However, come 2026 and the F1 landscape may look very different. For the first time in F1 history the teams have to cope with fairly radical new engines along with revolutionary moveable bodywork as the next era of F1 regulations come into effect.
The last time there was such a large change in the F1 regulations, Mercedes delivered an uber dominant V6 hybrid turbo power unit going on to conquer all in their path, winning an historic eight consecutive constructors’ championships between 2014-2021.
F1 commission meets in Geneva
Concerns have been expressed for some time about the new 50/50 power output split between the hybrid and combustion engine coming next year, with farcical scenarios where the batteries become so depleted the cars actually slow on a circuit with long straights, almost down to the level of an F2 car.
The repeated nature of this kind of report, first aired by Christian Horner in the summer of 2023 would suggest there is no smoke without fire as far as the battery rumours are concerned, yet one solution easily implemented has so far been resisted by the FIA.
An important meeting in Bahrain took place to discuss the problematic 2026 engines but given this was not a decision making body which sat, no changes could be incorporated into the regulations. Yesterday and running into late evening was a meeting of the F1 commission, which is broadly represented by a third of the vote going g to the teams and the other two third the FIA and F1 split evenly.
This body is capable of changing the regulations and a range of matters relating to the new 2026 power units were hammered out for several hours in Geneva. A formal proposal to detune the hybrid part of the engine was made, this would see the electrical output drop from 350kw to 200kw during the races – a loss of some 200bhp. In qualifying the full 350kw would be available to the drivers given the speedy recharge available when the car plugs in between runs.
Wolff against further 2026 engine discussions
Whilst not rejected out of hand, this proposition is one which could easily be revisited in the future, should the cars in an extended pre-season testing programme prove to be the ‘Frankenstein monsters’ Christian Horner once described them as. The architecture of the power units as developed to date by the teams would not require an expensive redesign, just a mere regulator which can easily be retro fitted.
Mercedes and Toto Wolff have been firmly against any changes to the planned regulations, yet this in no way should be taken that they are confident of stealing a march on the field again as they did in 2014. Its merely the case that having won very little since the epic duel of 2021 between Hamilton and Verstappen, any kind of chaos theory may change the F1 pecking order and it could swing Mercedes way.
Following the Bahrain gathering, Toto Wolf was presented with the upcoming F1 commissions agenda in the Jeddah paddock. He appeared surprised the topic of the 2026 F1 engines had reared its head again clearly believing at least for now it was back in the long grass. “Reading the agenda of the F1 commission is almost as hilarious as reading some of the comments that I see on Twitter on American politics,” fumed the Mercedes boss. “I really want to protect ourselves and make no comment, but it’s a joke. A week ago, there was an engine meeting and then things like this end up on the agenda again.”
Having been the original prophet of doom in the Sumer of 2026, Christian Horner was asked whether his concerns from some two years ago were being discussed, even if belatedly. “I think that this is something that we asked to be looked at two years ago and it’s not something that we’ve pushed to be on the agenda this week at all,” claimed the Red Bull team boss.
Tsunoda testing behind closed doors
FIA stand to look bad
“The FIA have gone away and done their research, and I think what they want to desperately avoid is a lot of lifting and coasting in the grand prix itself, which is going to be not particularly good for the sport and hugely frustrating for the drivers,” Horner concluded.
The problem for Toto Wolff is that this is no longer a competitor protesting the new regulations, but the FIA itself may now fear a huge backlash from the fans should the new power units ruin the current racing spectacle. Further, the F1 commission did agree to consider catch up mechanisms for any 2026 power unit manufacturer which wold allow them extra time and resources to develop their powertrains even after they have been homologated for the season.
“The F1 Commission discussed in principle refinements to the energy management strategy for 2026, as well as measures to address financial issues that can be faced by power unit manufacturers that experience either low performance or significant reliability issues in 2026,” was the brief communication from the FIA following the commission taking recess.
Further discussions planned on F1 2026 engines
With both F1 supremo, Stefano Domenicali and the FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem both singing fro the same hymn sheet about bringing forward the introduction of the post 2026 hybrid future, Wolff and Mercedes are fighting a losing battle. That said, if the power unit manufacturers are confident in there being catch up mechanisms for those who fail the first paper of the 2026 long list of examinations, they are likely to push as hard as they can to deliver the maximum power, even if reliability is sacrificed in the short term.
This approach has already been adopted by Honda with chief engineer on the project Tetushi Kakuda stating last month: “We are aiming to submit the homologation in February next year – since we had a slightly late start, we want to push forward until the very last moment,” reported Motorsport.com.
Mercedes are now unlikely to get their way given the rage of forces against them. But even now from a chaos theory perspective, were it to be Ferrari who aced the new engine rules for next year, Mercedes will be given a mechanism by which they can catch up.
Russell talks with Red Bull confirmed
Ferrari breaks silence as F1’s 2026 engine plans spiral into chaos
Ferrari break silence over 2026 F1 engine changes – “There may be trouble ahead.” There’s a “Wistful ambivalence undercuts exultation at every turn in the songs of Israel Baline (Irving Berlin)…. and so many other immigrant Jewish songwriters, darkening the attainment of happiness with the profundity of loss,”observed Barry Singer in 1988.
And whilst undoubtably the Irvin Berlin song does play to the simple joys of life, trouble is the word which recurs throughout the much loved standard. And this trouble is growing fast in the F1 paddock as week in and out there are repeated discussions being had over the future of the F1 2026 power units.
There’s little of Berlin’s eloquence being used to express the difficulties facing the sport, with Mercedes boss Toto Wolff describing it as”a joke” that the matter is once again to be discussed at Today’s F1 commission…. 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.
