Last Updated on November 8 2025, 9:09 pm
Formula One is embarking on the biggest experiment in its 75 year history for next season. There will be radical changes to the technical regulations for both engines and chassis but there remain concerns over how the new higher powered hybrids will actually work.
The FIA earlier this year held a pow wow in Bahrain in an attempt to persuade the manufacturers to agree to a reduction in the 50/50 split between the electrical power and that fro the internal combustion engine. At least two refused to countenance the matter.
Both the FIA and FOM’s CEO Stefan Domenicali responded in unison, talking down the incoming power units as “complex” and highly “expensive.” It could even see the FIA shorten the cycle of the 2026 powertrains to introduce something simpler and more economic as early as 2030.
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The implication is that should the F1 manufacturers continue with their stranglehold over the nature and cost of F1 power going forward, simpler V8 style engines may be reintroduced allowing third party manufacturers like Cosworth back into the game. This would break F1’s reliance on the somewhat stubborn German auto brands who appear to have resisted any changes along with Honda.
Fernando Alonso is the latest to voice concerns over the new power trains this week, having spent some time in the Aston Martin simulator. “I think driving at the simulator and by reading the rules, everyone is allowed to open the DRS on the straights, the car in front and the car behind. So, there is not really a possibility to make the difference unless you use a lot of energy on that straight.
But if you use that energy, you will pay the price on the following straights. So, maybe you get re-overtaken by the car that you just overtook.” When asked if this would lead to more strategic driving, the Spaniard was contemptuous suggesting “Or not attempting the overtake manoeuvre if you will lose time being overtaken on the next straight,” Alonso quipped.
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11th team requires Qualifying tweaks
Time will tell whether the new technical regulations which have taken an inordinate amount of time to come to fruition will be somewhat of a farce and if they do provide for ridiculous on track scenarios, the F1 teams will quickly agree a solution. In terms of the manufacturers not getting it right as happened to Renault last time around, the FIA are creating a safety net which will allow the worst performers to catch up – utilising incremental resources and development time.
Qualifying will definitely have to change given the arrival of Cadillac the eleventh F1 team. Q1 will see six cars eliminated as will Q2 and the top ten shootout for pole position will remain the same. There are however concerns that the extra two cars on track will be highly problematic at certain circuits.
This year in Austin, Max Verstappen and others failed to make their final push laps, due to the traffic in the pit lane. In Spa with the longest lap on the F1 calendar teams are already struggling in Q3 to get two push runs in, regardless of the silly games being played as the cars leave the pit lane. More cars will only increase the likelihood of these situations being repeated.
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Extended Sprint weekend practice
One suggestion at the recent F1 commission meeting was the timing for each of the first two qualifying sessions be increased. One or two minutes wold be added to Q1 and Q2 which currently stand at 18 and 15 minutes respectively.
The qualifying hour need not be extended and the additional time for the track sessions would be recouped from the time currently allowed between the sessions. Presently there are seven minutes between the first and second rounds of qualifying and eight m notes between Q2 and Q3.
With the revised Sprint weekend now featuring just one practice session, there have been problems this year when practice has been halted by red flags. The teams are already pushed for time to get in both qualifying simulations and race setup work and the loss of say 15-20 minutes for a red flag has been punitive.
For Sprint weekends only one idea being pressed is to ensure the red flag periods do not significantly reduce the one hour the teams require for preparation. If red flags interrupt the session then up to 15 minutes can be added back on at the end.
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Time extension between sessions required
An idea put forward is that for sprint weekends only, if there are red flags interruptions in practice then the time lost will be added on to the end of the session – up to a maximum of 15 minutes.
This given the scenarios suffered this year, would almost guarantee the team the one hour they require. However the FIA may have to change the rule which states there must be a minimum of two and a half hours and a maximum of three and a half hours between the end of first practice and Sprint qualifying – for scheduling purposes.
There was a proposal from FOM earlier this year to shorten the Grand Prix, which found favour will virtually no-one amongst the teams, promoters and the FIA. However another idea is being pushed currently, that is to standardise the length of the races, not in mileage but in time.
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Standardised Grand Prix lengths
The standard Grand Prix currently is set in length at 305km, with the exception of Monaco. Due to its high speed nature without rain or safety car interruptions, Monza is always the shortest race on the calendar. The drivers covered the distance this year in 1hr13m24s. By way of contrast Singapore was just over 1hr40m.
This is currently a topic of discussion amongst the F1 commission members where lengthening Monza and maybe shortening Singapore may make the packaging of the racing easier for the broadcasters. Yet for many the notion of a Grand Prix has always been based on a defined number of km plus there would be implications for the cars in terms of fuel loads that would be required.
The current fuel limit is 110kg for the Grand Prix but due to the increase in electrical power and engine improved efficiency this is set to fall to just 70kg of 100% sustainable fuel in 2026. By definition increasing the the length of the race in Monza would require a larger fuel allowance and therefore tank capacity and with the cars for 2026 now being finalised, time is short to agree this rule tweak.
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A.J. Hunt is Senior Editor at TJ13 and a career journalist with experience in both print and digital sports media. Having trained in investigative journalism and contributed to several European sports outlets, Hunt brings rigour and polish to every article. His role is to sharpen analysis, check facts and ensure TJ13’s daily output meets the highest editorial standards.
The qualifying segment durations don’t need to be any different from 2016, when the team amount was most recently 11.
Of course, 6 will be eliminated in both Q1 & Q2 each, like before, with 22 full-time drivers.
Shortening the Singapore GP to the same minimum km amount as the Monaco GP, i.e., 260 km, would be a good move, but the Italian GP doesn’t need extending, nor would it even be realistic because having a different fuel tank size for only a single event would be practically impossible, especially in the budget cap era, so even if this aspect was on the table for discussion (I haven’t encountered any references), it wouldn’t pass through anyway, even more so with the total permitted capacity amount decreasing to possibly as low as 70 kg thanks to the synthetic fuel typing making such a low amount possible to cover the same total distances as 100-110 kg with the still-current fuel type.
The rules have changed since 2016 – and so now we have dawdling in the pit lane to consider anyway – so extending the session times is pre on the agenda for this reason also