In the words of ex-McLaren driver and TV pundit David Coulthard, Formula One “is no longer just a sport, this is entertainment,” he claimed on the Up To Speed podcast following the debacle finish at the 2026 British Grand Prix.
And for the hardcore fans, whether we like it or not, since Liberty Media purchased the commercial rights to F1 in 2017, the sport has been tracking steadily in this direction. Yet there are some advantages to F1’s massive new global appeal, particularly in terms of the abundance of finance available for the teams.
No longer are they the money pits where billionaires pour in their life’s accumulation of cash and leave the sport as mere millionaires. Teams now make a profit, and all but Haas F1 can spend up to the budget cap, meaning the sporting playing field has been levelled to some degree.
And there are a number of other ways F1 is monetising its appeal, as seen at the recent British Grand Prix, which was sold as the “Glastonbury of Motorsport” with headline music acts in the evenings and trackside DJs alongside influencers and celebrities. Cross-pollinating entertainment and advertising is changing the face of F1’s finances.
The advertisements run in the breaks shown by the various broadcasters are mostly now F1-themed, not just some random prime-time standard offering. Even the establishment that is M&S has tailored its adverts with an F1 theme, to be run during the hours and hours of broadcast at each race weekend.
The 2026 Battery Debacle and the V8 Lifeline
So what has all this got to do with the future of F1 engines and the suggestion by FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem in Silverstone that, come the next era of F1 power in 2030/31, there could be independent engine suppliers delivering power units to the customer teams who currently depend on Ferrari and Mercedes in particular?
All this is part of ‘fixing’ F1 following the disastrous introduction of the all-new 2026 V6 hybrid power units. After the first round of the season in Melbourne, there was wailing and gnashing of teeth in the F1 paddock over the pathetic sight of cars slowing halfway along the straights having run out of battery power.
Dangerous closing speeds between a car deploying full electrical power and one harvesting energy were also on display. Such was the debacle that F1’s powers that be admitted changes must be made—some with almost immediate effect, but with the long-term view of a massive rules overhaul as soon as possible.
Since then, both F1’s CEO, Stefano Domenicali, and the president of the FIA have stated that from 2030/31, F1 will return to simpler, lighter V8-powered engines with “very, very little electrification,” says Ben Sulayem.
The alarm bells went off in Toto Wolff’s office, who immediately responded by suggesting such drastic measures would mean F1 technology becomes irrelevant to road-car users and their manufacturers. And so, the suggestion of an independent engine supplier is the latest parry in the to-and-fro fencing match currently taking place to decide the future of F1 power.
How Manufacturers Held F1 Hostage
How did F1 get into such a mess where the engine manufacturers were effectively given carte blanche to decide on the specifications of the power units, which are universally hated by drivers and fans alike?
Before the Liberty Media takeover almost ten years ago, the F1 landscape was very different. In fact, in the years prior to 2010, engine manufacturers who provided much of the cash for F1 were bailing out left, right, and centre following the global financial crisis in 2008.
Three teams went bust between 2010 and 2016, and so the FIA decided it was time to attract more manufacturers into the sport to plug the financial black hole. As Liberty Media was signing on the dotted line to acquire F1’s commercial rights, the FIA engine manufacturers’ working party was set up.
Negotiations began with the existing constructors and potential new arrivals, such as Porsche and Audi, over what the next generation of F1 engines should look like, and the time frame for them to arrive was set for 2021. The view of the road-car producers was almost universal: that in a few years’ time, they would not be building internal combustion engines for their family motor cars.
While the FIA wanted to simplify the engines, cut costs, and promote more standardised, ‘plug-and-play’ parts, the manufacturers had other ideas. They were determined to continue with the V6 hybrid configuration, claiming it made more sense in terms of road-car relevance. Yet come the deadline for the new manufacturers to sign up, none were prepared to do so.
To this end, the FIA decided to freeze the existing engine regulations until 2025 and restart the process to decide what the next era of F1 power should look like. Eventually, Audi agreed to join the F1 circus. Meanwhile, after Red Bull fell out with Porsche, they subsequently signed Ford to help with their adventurous project to build an F1 power unit.
Honda too relented on their decision to leave F1, and they formed a triumvirate with Mercedes and Audi to push for a massive increase in electrification. Red Bull sounded alarm bells over the proposed 50/50 power units along with Ferrari, but the threat of Honda and Audi once again withdrawing won the day.
The Myth of Road-Car Relevance
And so the 2026 F1 powertrains were born. Yet as discussed, much has changed in F1 since the original 2017 F1 power unit working party. The money F1 derives from the auto manufacturers is now dwarfed by the rest of the world’s corporate entities wanting to partner with the sport.
The much-used argument by the auto giants regarding road-car relevance is finally being challenged, given F1 is a sport and entertainment, not an R&D lab for the car manufacturers of the world. Just as the motor car saw off the horse as a primary means of public transport, yet failed to stop the relevance of horse racing—which is now at a global peak—so F1 does not need to be road-car relevant for fans to enjoy competitive motor racing and entertainment.
The Threat of the Masters: Cosworth and Ilmor
With their influence becoming more marginalised, the suggestion that F1 could have independent engine suppliers like Cosworth or Ilmor is no idle threat. In fact, Cosworth is responsible for the fastest, most powerful naturally aspirated road-car combustion engine ever built associated with Aston Martin—the heart of the Valkyrie.
They too have used their decades of F1 engine-building experience to power the Gordon Murray-designed T.50, the spiritual successor to his legendary 1990s McLaren F1. The engine is a bespoke 3.9-litre naturally aspirated V12 and is the highest-revving production road-car engine in history, topping out at a screaming 12,100 rpm. It is also the fastest-responding engine ever made, revving from idle to redline in just 0.3 seconds.
Who cares if the Valkyrie engine only operates at 40% thermal efficiency while an F1 engine, complex and massively expensive, is ahead at 50%? These numbers are for engineers to get excited over; the fans want to see drivers pushing flat out and racing on the limit.
That said, comparing a modern Formula 1 Internal Combustion Engine to the Gordon Murray Automotive T.50 V12 is a study in two completely opposite peaks of automotive art: ultimate industrial efficiency versus ultimate mechanical purity.
Power Play: The Train is Leaving the Station
Mercedes reportedly spent $1 billion in R&D on their all-dominant 2014 F1 V6 hybrid, but those days are over, and the FIA now has other options should the F1 manufacturers refuse to play ball with their vision for the future of F1 power. The money of the F1 engine manufacturers is irrelevant to the sport in 2026.
The F1 manufacturers know the writing is on the wall, given Toto Wolff has offered to agree to a new F1 engine formula one year early, should the FIA compromise on the level of electrification. Yet currently, the FIA is suggesting a mere 10–15% battery contribution, while Wolff wants a 1,200 horsepower mega-engine with the electrification standing at around 30%.
The threat of engaging independent engine manufacturers back into the F1 future power discussion may dilute the say of the current power unit providers. And so the clock is ticking for the likes of Mercedes, Audi, and Honda, and it may be that the train is leaving the station more quickly than they realise.
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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.
A.J. Hunt is Senior Editor at TJ13, where Andrew oversees editorial standards and contributes to the site’s Formula 1 coverage. A career journalist with experience in both print and digital sports media, Andrew trained in investigative journalism and has written for a range of European sports outlets.
At TJ13, Andrew plays a central role in shaping the site’s output, working across breaking news, analysis, and long-form features. Andrew’s responsibilities include fact-checking, refining editorial structure, and ensuring consistency in reporting across a fast-moving news cycle.
Andrew’s work focuses particularly on the intersection of Formula 1 politics, regulation, and team strategy. Andrew closely follows developments involving the FIA, team leadership, and driver market dynamics, helping to provide context behind the sport’s biggest stories.
With experience covering multiple seasons of Formula 1’s modern hybrid era, Andrew has developed a detailed understanding of how regulatory changes and competitive shifts influence the grid. Andrew’s editorial approach prioritises clarity and context, aiming to help readers navigate complex developments within the sport.
In addition to editorial duties, Andrew is particularly interested in how media narratives shape fan perception of Formula 1, and how reporting can balance speed with accuracy in an increasingly digital news environment.
The worst day for F1 was when Liberty took control. Now ,it’s a US style freak show , not motor racing.