Formula One is known for its speed and rapid technological innovation as each year the teams design a prototype racing car unique to each of the others with some 20,000 components creating the final product. Then during there season, the technical departments of the teams will find ways of upgrading the car to make it even quicker, often finding 1-2 seconds per lap when compared to the base design from the start of the year.
Yet perversely the sport at times is like an ocean going container ship, which takes a huge amount of time to make even the gentles of turns. The process which planned the new engines for 2026 has been one of the most farcical ever in the history of the sport.
Way back in 2017, the FIA set up a working party to discuss the future of F1 power. The “who so ever will” were invited as F1 made a push to attract more engine manufacturers following the Red Bull Renault debacle, which almost saw the Milton Keynes team without a power unit for the 2016 season.
Red Bull troubles drove the hunt for new F1 manufacturers
Having won four drivers championships with the French based engine supplier between 2010-2013, Red Bull remained a Renault customer for the all new V6 turbo hybrid power units introduced in 2014. Yet a lack of investment from Renault in the R&D process leading up to the new era of F1 power, saw Red Bull finish just fourth in 2015, behind Mercedes, Ferrari and astonishingly the Mercedes powered Williams team.
A very public war of words erupted between Red Bull and Renault which looked almost certainly to end in a divorce. But Red Bull were out of options in terms of another beings supplier, given Honda had signed an exclusive contract with m McLaren and Mercedes and Ferrari were refusing to consider supplying a competitor as keen as Red Bull Racing.
A by product of Red Bull running an underfunded and underpowered engine was that Adrian Newey almost decided to quit F1 altogether. He was offered the opportunity to run ‘special projects’ for the Red Bull empire spending his time on an America’s Cup Yacht design along with Aston Martin’s hypercard, the Valkyrie. In 2018 he resigned as the team’s technical director, going part time on his F1 work. His replacement was Frenchman Pierre Wache who remains in situe today.
With no where else to go, Red Bull and Renault found a compromise solution which saw the French built power unit badged as TAG Heuer. This was something McLaren did back in the 1980’s when Porsche preferred not to be credited with the V10 they were supplying the Woking based team.
German auto makers press for more F1 hybrid
Red Bull continued their fractured relationship with Renault badging their engines as TAG Heuer for 2016,17,and 18. In the meantime the FIA working party setup to discuss the next generation of F1 power was well under way. Porsche were a leading contender to produce an F1 power unit for 2021, although disagreements over the future architect saw the timescale slip to 2022.
Frustrated at the lack of a coherent plan for new F1 engines, the FIA decided to freeze the development of current V6 hybrids from 2022-2025, hoping in the intervening period some agreement on the look and feel of F1’s future power units would be made.
In its desperation to increase the count of power unit manufacturers, a significant amount of consideration was given to what was a German vision of the future of road car technology, as Mercedes, Audi and Porsche all pushed hard for an even bigger hybrid unit to power the cars. Ferrari were resistant and Red Bull having now established Red Bull Powertrains also preferred a return to simpler and more cost effective power units.
Yet the final decision required to engage Audi and Porsche any further saw the hybrids for 2026 move from a combustion engine/electric output split of 80/20 to 50/50. This of course from a technical point of view, wold be an incredible achievement, yet it was apparent from the start that to generate that amount of electrical power, systems used by Porsche and Audi in Endurance racing may have to be adopted, to recover kinetic energy from the front axle when under breaking.
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Mercedes who had not developed that technology were opposed to its introduction and so now the current crisis remains where the electrical power output has to be raised in fake fashion, by the combustion engine operating as a mere generator on circuits where the straights are long and braking is less frequent.
The final specifications for the 2026 power units was issued by the FIA in June 2024, yet behind the scene concerns were growing amongst more than just one of the manufacturers signed up to delver them. Then at this year’s Chinese Grand Prix, the FIA official in charge of F1 day to day affairs issued an extra-ordinary ultimatum to the manufacturers to resolve the grave concerns concerning the performance of F1’s new era of power.
Nikolas Tombazis revealed publicly that private conversations had been taking place behind the scenes, offering the manufacturers two options in terms of finally resolving their differences. “I think the right way around to go about it is: do we want three or four years later to go to a different type of power unit? That’s question number one. That looks after the long term for the sport,” Tombazis said.
“If the answer to that is yes, then there’s question number two – what we do in the intervening period. That is definitely a secondary question compared to the primary one.”
Stark ultimatum from the FIA
There was a choice for the manufacturers to make he made plain: “Either way – whether we stay with the current regulations or go with the already approved new regulations….” he said revealing there was genuine momentum for ditching the nigh on decade long debated new V6 Turbo hybrids.
Since then F1 supremo Stefano Domenicali has talked about “political” reasons why decisions were made in the past and that going forward there should be a return to a simpler and cheaper form of power for F1, with sustainable fuels. He went further stating F1 would not return to the era of one engine dominating the rest of the field, or even one or two of the manufacturers falling behind in terms of performance and/or reliability, a theme picked up today by Tombazis when speaking on behalf of the FIA.
Following a meeting in Bahrain of the manufacturers and the FIA, an agenda was presented to Toto Wolff in the paddock in Jeddah. His shocked response revealed he believed the matter of the 2026 power units had been put to bed, yet it was on the agenda again at the up coming meeting of the F1 commission.
“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,” said the Mercedes boss. “I really want to protect ourselves and make no comment, but it’s a joke. There was only just an engine meeting and then things like this end up on the agenda again.”
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Red Bull & Ferrari support FIA stance
Red Bull and Ferrari are said to be pushing to reduce the electrical element of the power output from its current 50/50 split, year this is denied by Horner as he claims these discussions are being driven by the FIA who now have genuine concerns their specifications may lead to farcical racing next year.
When asked whether Red Bull had been lobbying the FIA, Horner died this stating: “It’s not something we’ve lobbied for or asked for. If they [the FIA] are doing it in the interest of the sport, then you’ve got to support it.”
The Ferrari boss, Fred Vasseur also revealed the grave concerns he had over the new 2026 power units stating: “We have to be open about this and avoid fighting,” he said, “even if someone thinks they have an advantage because of the battery or something else. This could be the worst-case scenario for Formula 1.”
Today Nikolas Tombazis his picked up on the comments made by Domenicali, about the FIA not wishing to see one engine dominate next year. The memories of Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg cruising through qualifying in 2014 remain. That season they were on average half a second quicker than the rest in qualifying. Restrictions on further power unit development meant Mercedes retained an advantage until 2018, when the dominance evaporated to as little as 0.09% as Ferrari woke from their slumber to out up a fight.
Mercedes being pressurised into some form of compromise
With both the FIA and FOM unusually singing from the same hymn sheet Tombazis concurs. He is now reportedly “telling teams and manufacturers” that F1’s governing body does not want engines to be the “performance differentiator” like it was back in the 2014 season.
Any change to the 2026 F1 power unit regulations required for of the five manufacturers currently designing the new V6 hybrids to agree. Red Bull and Ferrari have made their positions clear as has Mercedes, yet there are indications Honda are realising their plight having said they will continue developing their power units right up to the final day for homologation.
With F1 and the FIA aligned over the potential disastrous spectacle coming down the road, it would be a dangerous game for manufacturer to play to block any potential new “catch up rules” proposed by the FIA, which will surely now be the next step in this row.
Whilst Toto Wolff has declared Mercedes opposition to any changes for 2026, Audi and Honda who have remained silent on the topic may well decide how the matter is resolved. Whilst currently it requires four of the manufacturers to agree, the FIA can under various “the interest of the sport” clauses enforce any changes it sees fit.
Were this kind of unilateral decision by the FIA to be forced by a lack of agreement, it will receive no protest from F1, nor at least two of the manufacturers. With Red Bull and Ferrari saying they are prepared to “support it” in Christian Horner’s words, to avoid a “worst-case scenario for Formula 1,” as Fred Vasseur gravely describes the potential situation.
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Mohammed Ben Sulayem is entering the final few months of his first term as the president of the FIA. Come November the nigh on 200 associations around the world will vote to either replace the Emirati former rally driver or retain him for a second four year term.
Yet for those keen to see the back of the first Arab president of the FIA, history would suggests he is likely to receive a second term. In the past half a century no president has served just a single term and the wining margin which saw Ben Sulayem elected in 2021 was substantial.
Formula One is just one of seven FIA regulated world championships and many of the member associations around the world have little care for what is often described as the pinnacle of motor racing. “Formula One and WRC are in good shape, they are very healthy. But the world needs more than that. I mean, we’re talking about local or regional level, you need local participation, you need local events, and you need regional events. That can only happen if we do it in an affordable way,”stated the manifesto of Ben Sulayem….. 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.
When you get the dates wrong, then an article based on dates, might as well be scrapped, cause more confusion than informing.