Formula 1 is late in defining the rules and regulation for the 2026 power units. The promise was to deliberate and have everything finalized by June, in order to allow all the engine manufacturers to begin the preliminary study of the power units that will be used on the single-seaters with zero-emission biofuels in 2026.
The F1 Commission will meet in a few weeks at the Red Bull Ring on the occasion of the Austrian GP, where more discussions will take place to find some common ground and a shared vision of the future which at this stage does not exit. According to German magazine Auto Motor und Sport, Porsche and Audi, the two brands of the Volkswagen Group that have expressed an interest in entering Formula One, would be very upset by the racent delays of the FIA in making such decisions.
In reality, the situation is much more complex than how the Germans want to make it seem: at stake there are certainly some concessions that could be given to the new manufacturers and that Red Bull Powertrains is also asking, but that other engine manufacturers involved in Formula 1 do not want to grant because the Milton Keynes team already benefits from the experience shared with Honda over the years. The main idea would be to put stringent limits on costs and development, limiting bench tests.
These are all logical talking points that should lead to a sustainable future of the series, especially now that it appears to have risen on a wave of very positive popularity.
But all this, which is very important, comes after the basic choices on the engines that have not yet been made: we know that they will be 1.6-liter turbo 6 cylinders like today and that on the hybrid side the MGU-H will be removed, but no one has yet said how the missing electric power will be recovered to reach the fateful thousand horsepower. Maybe we could start with lighter cars, looking for a turnaround that would lead to a drop from almost eight quintals today.
All the more so as to cut costs, Porsche and Audi, supported by Formula 1, are pushing for solutions that should go towards very similar engines with many equal parts: we are talking about a single turbo supplier, but also the hybrid system, if not even of pistons and… bolts. Going in this direction, the power units would lose any useful function for research if not for the development of synthetic fuels.
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Can Ferrari accept to see Formula 1 transform into a sort of Indycar, in which the DNA of the highest automotive category will flatten out on the requests of those who would like “easy” access to the sport?
Liberty Media is rubbing its hands because it would mean bringing all manufacturers to the same level of competitiveness from the 2026 Formula 1 season, opening up the possibility that a wider field of participants may win. But can Ferrari set out on these solutions?
Maranello would have an ace to play with the right of veto, but in Maranello there are those who see cost cutting as a positive key and seem to want to follow the orientation set by the Germans. Will it be an own goal? Or should we expect a turnaround?
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