Last Updated on May 11 2025, 4:54 am
The storm continues to brew over the impact the 2026 new power unit and chassis regulations will have on Formula One racing. With more than half a decade invested on behalf of the FIA to engage new engine manufacturers, one thing is clear, allowing the players to set the rules is never a good idea.
The original V6 hybrids which debuted in 2014 were intended to be replaced in 2021 but a combination of the FIA allowing the cart to lead the horse meant the varying self interests of the potential new manufacturers hindered the timelines set to introduce the net generation of F1 powertrains.
Of course the Covid-19 pandemic had an impact on the sport, most of all forcing the unwilling teams to agree to an annual spending limit. Terrified of several F1 competitors going bust and leaving a sparse grid, F1’s big boys finally conceded their hundreds of millions spending compared to the minors tens of millions was making the sport unsustainable.
“Politics” and dithering lead to 2026 F1 engine chaos
Yet even so, the new power units could have been ready for 2022, but so frustrated was the FIA with the year’s of bickering over the fine details, they decided to freeze the current power units from 2022 until the new timeline for the next generation of F1 power in 2026.
Even now, the highly complex and hugely expensive hybrid power units are suspected to be a folly of huge proportions, with their unsustainable mix of internal combustion engine and electrical power split at 50/50. Modelling is demonstrating that at the higher speed circuits where breaking is minimal, the hybrid will not be capable of harvesting enough power each lap to recharge the battery to 100%.
This of course means without an element of contrivance, the electrical energy will run dry within the opening laps of a Grand Prix. As F1’s CEO recently admitted, “politics” played a huge part in the current retention of such a high level of hybrid power and the resulting specification was a ‘moonshot’ which will never be achieved.
An emergency meeting was held in Bahrain over how to resolve this issue with the suggestion that the hybrid power be cut to 40 or even as low as 20% of the total output for the 300km long Grand Prix. This of course will mean a loss of face for some very prominent global automotive players such as Audi and Mercedes, who insist today they will find a way to make the 50/50 split of power work.
Shocking last minute 2026 engine rule changes
The fact the FIA and F1 are contemplating emergency measures to ensure the racing in 2026 is not a farce, where drivers are forced to use their combustion engines as mere power generators for the electrical side of the hybrid marriage which looks to be made in hell.
Audi may claim their raison d’être for joining F1 was the new 2026 power units, yet this week they sacked their second F1 CEO in two years and appointed a power unit specialist to dig them out of the mess they now find themselves in. Honda admitted in March, they would be using every last moment to develop their 2026 powertrain to the very day the FIA demands its architecture is homologated (locked in) for the upcoming season.
This is a remarkable state of affairs given the thousands of hours the F1 manufacturers spend bench testing their finalised designs to ensure they are uber reliable. Honda will have no time to do this and are hoping the newly proposed “catch up” mechanism Stefano Domenicali is calling for will bail them out of troubled waters.
As it stands, Formula One 2026 could comprise of in fact three different racing categories. One being a single manufacturer who aces the new design rules, another being those who have missed the mark completely and are fielding in Fernando Alsonso’s words “a GP3 engine.”
Cadillac surprise announcement
Then there will be a group down the middle of the road. Neither hot nor cold, not really great or terrible and they will make up the second tier of racing. What a shocking future this will be for F1 given how close the current cars are this season in qualifying.
Last time out in Miami, Lewis Hamilton was less than a tenth behind his team mate Charles Leclerc. Yet the Monegasque driver started the race in P8, whilst the seven times world champion was four places further back. This season is fast becoming a qualifying Formula, where the thrills and spills of F1 are felt most keen on a Saturday afternoon.
Cadillac saved the Andretti F1 application, which was green lit by the FIA but refused by F1 and the teams. By dropping the controversial Andretti name and rebranding it as one of General Motors divisions, the spin went as follows: “Cadillac are bringing value to F1 with their US global brand.” Of course the reality is Andretti will be designing and building the chassis and Mercedes will be supplying the power.
The new pitch which had Cadillac as the lead player stated they would design and build a new F1 V6 hybrid for the 2028 season. After all the current crop of manufacturers have done most of their work in the last two year period. Yet under the radar last week, the FIA confirmed Cadillac would only become an F1 manufacturer in 2029 – three years from now – and this news has serious implications for F1.
New ‘problem’ with ha Milton Ferrari reveals
Cadillac claim F1 powertrain well underway
Even if the current breed of bastard hybrids makes it over the line in tact, they were set to be replaced in just five years time. Unlike for 2014 when Mercedes blew the field away by spending a reported $1bn on the research and development of their new V6 hybrid, the current crop must restrict this to USD$95m for 2022-2025, rising to USD$130m per year from 2026 onwards.
Seriously, are Cadillac going to invest $130m a year from hereon, to produce a power unit that at best has a two year life span? At worst F1’s CEO Stefano Domenicali has suggested the eye watering expensive new 2026 powertrains should be replaced as soon as possible even stating in 2-3 years time. This is most convenient for Cadillac, given the new simpler and less expensive engines coming down the line in F1 may be V8/V10 based and cost a quarter of the current hybrid monsters.
Yet the US car giant displaying the same nicely for now. GM president Mark Reuss has big news for F1 fans that a functional prototype has already roared to life. “With regard to the power unit, development is already well underway,” Reuss revealed during a press conference held at the Miami Grand Prix. “In fact, we fired up our first engine last week,” he proudly stated. So why not press on and get it built?
GM then shared images of some kind of PU on a test bench. If this was really a prototype of the new 2026 powertrains, why have Cadillac been only certified as an F1 power unit supplier in 2029. Almost three years from now at the start of 2028 would see them have a similar development time and programme to the current manufactures who will deliver theirs in 2026.
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F1 smoke and mirrors
This is all smoke an mirrors and with the FIA and F1 singing from the same hymn sheet in a rare show of unity, these 2026 complex and mightily expensive hybrids will be gone by the time Cadillac would have blown nigh on half a billion dollars at $130m a year for the next three years.
Formula One will find a way to dig itself out of one of the biggest holes it has self dug in the 75 years of history in motorsport. And this will be managed by persuading and cajoling the likes of Audi and Mercedes, their insistence on the 2026 powertrain designs was foolhardy and needs urgent revision.
Yet 2026 may be a turbulent year for the sport and a lack of competitive on track. Action will hit Liberty Media who own the commercial rights to F1 very hard in the pocket. They will not let this happen.
Third F1 driver sacking ‘imminent’
The 2025 Formula One season is heading to be a record breaking one, but not for the reasons the drivers would hope. In modern times two F1 drivers being replaced with just a quarter of the season completed is unheard of.
Red Bull raised eyebrows when in December they appointed Liam Lawson to replace Sergio Perez alongside Max Verstappen at Red Bull. Yes the Kiwi had eleven Grand Prix weekends under his belt but his Japanese team mate had racked up over eighty in four seasons with the junior Red Bull team.
There were questions over the appropriateness of the decision as early as pre-season testing where Lawson looked to be off the pace of Verstappen. However direct comparisons were muddied by the run plans Red Bull undertook, which meant an exact comparison of the two new team mates was not really possible… 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.
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