The FIA issued a statement following the F1 Commission meeting held yesterday. The most important item on the agenda was undoubtedly the 2026 power units. The FIA’s technical department proposed a drastic redistribution of the power balance between the electric and internal combustion components for races. The idea of reducing electric power from 350 to 200 kW — shifting the ratio from 50-50 to 65-35 in favor of the combustion engine — was rejected by Mercedes.
According to Auto Motor und Sport, Ferrari and Red Bull were behind this request, having already pushed for an early introduction of regulations allowing a return to naturally aspirated V10 engines powered by biofuels before 2031.
The German outlet quotes Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff: “I actually wanted to protect us and not comment at all. But this is really a joke. Just a week ago we had a meeting about engines. And now these things are back on the agenda.” Toto Wolff was referring to the meeting held in Bahrain, where the FIA explored the potential willingness of engine manufacturers to adopt the V10 project ‘early’ compared to the new engine regulation cycle expected in 2031.
The FIA statement was not entirely clear regarding any decisions made about the redistribution of the electric and combustion components’ power in 2026. However, Auto Motor und Sport reports that the matter is ‘closed’ with the confirmation of the original rules. In 2026, however, there could be opportunities for engine manufacturers who find themselves genuinely struggling either in terms of performance or reliability. The options to be ratified by the F1 Commission in upcoming meetings include extra development hours on the dynamometer and an increase in the budget cap to be invested in improving power unit performance.
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