Formula One’s troubles are deepening as tensions escalate between the FIA and engine manufacturers over the controversial 2026 power unit regulations, with Red Bull’s two-year-old warnings proving eerily accurate – rival engine manufacturers now fear that the vastly increased reliance on battery power on low-braking circuits could lead to critical power shortages during races.
The total output of the new batteries are being increased three fold and will theoretically deliver a 50/50 total output split with the internal combustion engine. There has been talk of a swift return to simpler forms of engines as early as 2028, although with Cadillac being recently confirmed as only a power unit manufacturer from 2029, this is the likely time the new hybrids will be ditched.
There’s been talk of a return to V10’s or V8’s using bio fuel from both the FIA president and F1’s superior Stefano Domenicali, yet the cost of this exercise is now only truly coming to light. The 2026 powertrains will run on bio fuels, all being developed by a range of different lubricant suppliers to the teams.
F1 bio fuel $300 a litre
At the recent meeting of the F1 commission concerns were raised over the costs of developing the new lubricants. One team revealed they were expecting to pay ten times more for fuel when compared to the current produced used in F1, where current prices are set at around $30 a litre. One current manufacturer reveals the work done by the lubricant supplier wold drive a current cost of somewhere in the region of $175-$225 per litre.
Yet the lubricant suppliers are yet to complete their R&D and finalise the product for 2026 and t6his extra work may well easily push the price up to over $300 a litre. The present cost of fuel for an F1 team is around $8-10,000 each weekend in 2025. This could rise ten fold meaning the teams are spending an eye watering $2.4m a year for fuel – up from just a quarter of a million dollars currently being spent.
One saving grace is that from 2026, the cost of fuel will be outside the FIA’s cost cap, which restricts the running costs for a year which all the teams must not exceed. One team principal is thought to have described the the fold increase as “ridiculous” and is calling for changes in the longer term.
Each team uses a range of lubricants suppliers with Ferrari partnering with Shell, McLaren with Gulf, Mercedes have Petronas, AMR use Aramco, Red Bull partner with Esso and Renault use Eli, formally known as AGIP. Some bustier teams use the same supplier as the manufacturer but concerns have arisen that they will pay more for their fuel than those building the engines.
FIA believe costs will naturally fall
The FIA has agreed in principal to work with the teams to find cheaper solutions for 2027 with less expensive ingredients being made standard and a limitation being placed on the areas where the fuel can be developed.
Nikolas Tombazis, the head of F1 day to day affairs for the FIA appears relaxed about the problem and believes advances in technology will inevitably drive down prices in the longer term. “It will come down like every technology comes down,” he said.
“Initially, everything is new, everything is innovative, and everything is a prototype in some ways. And gradually, as people learn, they will gradually move them [the costs] down. I’m not saying it is fully realistic tomorrow to go into a road car, but I think the learning these important partners have will help them drive down the costs. They need to do that for F1 as well as for their day-to-day business.”
Formula One’s decision to bring in radical new power units at the same time as the car design rules are turned on their head is looking ever more ridiculous. The spectre of what Christian Horner described as “Frankenstein cars” appears to loom on the horizon. Now the FIA’s net zero agenda for 2030 appears ever more expensive and unrealistic in terms of its transfers of technology from F1 to road cars.
Sergio Perez F1 seat for 2026 confirmed
F2 & F3 using 100% sustainable fuel
Meanwhile in the FIA’s junior international formula racing series, F2 and F3, bio fuels have been developed b y a single supplier in the form of Armco. The Advanced Sustainable Fuel produced by the Saudi company is this year now at 100% having been previously introduced at just 55%.
F2 and F3’s CEO Bruno Michel says of the process of converstion,“It’s been going very, very well. We started this partnership with Aramco a few years ago, started with a 55% sustainable fuel, and it was part of the plan to make sure we were arriving at 100% normally in 2026.
“But because of the fantastic job Aramco has been doing, we’ve been able to anticipate it and do it this season, which has been a great thing.”
The FIA’s head of single seaters, Nicolas Tombazis recently explained: “It’s important to check to make sure we don’t have any issues on the cars. These lessons Formula 2 are learning, I think, are taken note of for Formula 1. So that’s important.”
Synthetic fuels the next target
What has been proven is that the replacement sustainable fuels have met the performance targets set for the F2 and F3 championships, yet with a number of fuel suppliers coming in 2026 for F1, the waters will be more muddied.
In terms of fully sustainable synthetic fuels, Aramco admits its not quite there yet given the energy used will also need to be eventually recovered from a sustainable source. “That’s part of the journey, and they are making sure that the full cycle [of producing the fuel] is sustainable and not just the final product. That’s one of the main targets and the biggest challenge to achieve that,” admitted Tombazis.
“Aramco are working really hard to build more plants to make sure they can produce sustainable fuel at a wider range. For now, it’s quite a niche market but the aim is to make it for mass market,” he concluded.
F1 drastic mid-season rule changes considered by FIA
Once the game has begun, changing the rules before it finishes is considered to be unfair. There would be questions asked about the motivation to change the regulations together with someone who benefits more than another. This is why rule changes mid-season in Formula One are a rare thing.
Of course the FIA will tidy up grey areas with technical directives, but something like changing tyre compounds (done once for safety) will affect the pecking order, with some teams winning whilst others lose out.
However, Formula One has a problem at present and much of it is around the design regulations for the cars. There are fixes coming next year to reduce the amount of dirty air a driver behind an other car suffers, but for now this is proving a significant issue, with four of the first five Grand Prix this year being won from pole position…. 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.
I dont get it. indycars already run on ethanol, which is 100% biological. This should not be that much of a change.