Ferrari’s subtle denouncement of F1’s 2026 engines – There’s much paddock talk at present about whether the new F1 power units due next year will be a complete flop. A number of teams are now concerned at the ambitious targets of the 50/50 split in power output between the combustion engine and the battery.
A variety of sources have suggested simulations from more than one manufacturer suggests at a number of the circuits, the drivers will be forced to lift and cost due to a lack of electrical power. This will happen at tracks where braking and therefore the harvesting of kinetic energy is limited, forcing the internal combustion engine (ICE) to act at times, merely as a generator of electricity.
Red Bull have been fingered as a source of discontent with the current regulations as they are written, with Christian Horner warning back in 2023 of the very difficulties now being felt. His suggestion was to decrease the split for the electrical output, even suggesting a modest change to 60/40 in favour of the ICE would solve most of the difficulties.
Red Bull raised concerns 2 years ago
Toto Wolff at the time dismissed Horner’s observations as those of someone who was lacking confidence in his own power unit building programme and at the recent Grand Prix in Saudi he expressed his disdain at the fact the topic was to be again discussed at the up coming meeting of the F1 commission.
Again the Mercedes boss has hinted it is Horner who is driving the agenda with the FIA, something he denied vigorously when asked in Jeddah. The debacle of the F1 2026 engines began back in 2017, when the FIA set up a working party to discuss the new engines due in 2021. His then became 2022 and with agreement not possible, the FIA froze the development of the current V6 hybrids until 2026.
F1 supremo has described the decision to pursue with the current set of 2026 power unit regulations as one which was “political”. This is due to the fact that the FIA was attempting to woo new entrants Audi and Porsche. Their view of what the F1 power units should look like were aligned with Mercedes, although Ferrari, Red Bull and Renault were not so sure.
In the end Porsche upset potential partners Red Bull Racing with their domineering attitudes to how the entire F1 team should be run. Just Audi signed on the dotted line for 2026, but in the meantime Renault decided to quit building these highly compels and most costly of power units – so the net effect was a failure for the FIA’s prime objective.
F1 backlash against manufacturers
One seen as the darlings to be woo’d, there is now a backlash taking place in F1, where the future importance of the engine manufacturers looks to be uncertain. F1’s supremo has called for a return to less expensive, simpler technology with bio fuels whilst the FIA’s official in charge of F1 day to day affairs said recently, “we would like them to be cheaper. And that’s why the president made the comments about a V10 engine in ’28 and so on.”
This astonishing remark which suggests the new power trains could have a life span of just two years is truly a momentous moment in F1 history. Such an admission of the monumental error that has been made by F1 is impossible to underestimate and Ferrari have now subtly weighed in supporting of a swift change in the regulations in an article published as part of the organisations “mythbuster” series.
The publication is a technical examination f the technology used in a number of its road cars and Le Mans hypercar and is really designed for those immersed in the technical details of how modern cars are powered. For the lay F1 person its a difficult read, but its message is clear. “The right” combination of electrical power harnessed alongside tradition combustion engines is something which is vital for optimum performance.
The article traces the history of hybrid power in F1 going back to the simple Kenetic Energy Recovery systems first introduced in 2009. The battle between deciding on incremental weight of the system and the effect on lap times is described in detail, and is clearly a key to Ferrari’s view on the right mix between electrical and traditional power output.
Verstappen announces his sucessor
“Right size” F1 engines required
Much of the rest of the publication reveals infinitely technical boffin-esque details of Ferrari’s sports cars, yet the message is simple: “Down-sizing is one of the industry buzzwords right now, though perhaps it should be ‘right-sizing’.” This is simply code for the proper mix of horse power being produced by the hybrid and combustion engines – right sized.
Ferrari’s double Le Mans-winning 499 P uses a 3.0-litre, 680 brake horse power (bhp) twin-turbo V6, with an electric motor on the front axle to provide an additional 272 bhp. This technology is now being deployed in Ferrari’s new F80 hypercar and again the message is clear, what’s good on track can translate into road car technology. Of the 1200bhp, just 300 is produced by the hybrid element with 900bhp produced by the combustion engine.
This is a mix of 75/25, even greater than Horner suggested two years ago. Yet F1 decided against using front axle motors or regeneration due to the fact other manufacturers were concerned almost half a decade ago, that Audi would have a significant advantage due to their sports car racing programme and experience.
More F1 engine builders, requires simpler engines
Changing the architecture of the 2026 engines would be highly problematic and expensive, so the suggestion that Audi (or Ferrari) could deliver this component as standard to all the teams is a non starter. Allowing the full 50/50 hybrid split for qualifying is one suggestion under consideration, whilst in the Grand Prix the electrical element would be turned down.
The stubborn resistance from Toto Wolff and others will merely serve to force F1 in the future to diminish the power and influence of the manufacturers. Simpler F1 engines, “right sized” could be produced by a number of small specialist engine manufacturers such as Cosworth, who remain third in the all time list of F1 engine race winners, despite withdrawing from F1 in 2014 as the new behemoth V6 hybrids came into force.
F1 in crisis is never a new story, but this one needs resolving fast and Ferrari appear to be lending their might to the argument in subtle fashion. As the article concludes, “Harmony achieved, circle closed.”
Ferrari full article – Mythbusters: Hybrids
READ MORE F1 NEWS – Lewis Hamilton describes the Miami GP as ‘the worst’
The inaugural Miami Grand Prix was a tipping point moment for modern Formula One as it became the second F1 race to be held in the annually in the USA on a long term basis. Of course ‘cracking the US’ was a long term ambition of former F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone yet in F1’s halcyon days there were occasions when one off events saw F1 visit the US three times a year.
Back in the 1970’s there was regularly two events held annually when the calendar consisted of just around fourteen rounds each year. The US Grand Prix west was held in Long Beach, Los Angeles while the US Grand Prix west featured at the much loved Watkins Glen circuit in the finger lakes region of New York State.
In 1982 there were in fact three F1 races held in the states, with races being held at Long Beach, Detroit and Las Vegas. The in 1984 F1 held a race in Dallas, Texas which delivered the iconic image of an exhausted Nigel Mansell pushing his lotus across the finishing line after suffering gearbox failure in the searing heat on the final lap of the race…. READ MORE ON THIS STORY
The Judge, a nom de plume of an experienced F1 journalist and site founder with long-standing sources across the paddock. 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.
