Formula 1 Says It Refuses To Be Held Hostage By Automakers Anymore

Formula 1's new generation of power unit regulations was supposed to be a strong show of where the auto industry was headed. Now, just a few years after the regulations were codified and just a handful of races, that assumption is already being tested. FIA single-seater director Nikolas Tombazis, whose team was responsible for developing the 2026 ruleset into a tangible product, admitted the guiding principles of the new engine formula are properly flawed during a media call ahead of the Miami Grand Prix.

A near 50/50 split between electric power and internal combustion engines has begun to fracture the narrative around the sport. Managing how energy is deployed and recovered, particularly with such a large reliance on electrical output, has forced several technical compromises just to make the system viable in a racing environment. What's worse, drivers have started to call the new rules anti-racing.

Max Verstappen hates the new rules so much that he might even just retire-a trashy look for the pinnacle of motorsport. When the regulations were agreed to in 2022, the automotive industry was moving toward full electrification at a pace that seemed irreversible. Manufacturers giving their input into the new F1 engine rules were adamant that new internal combustion engine development would soon stop, and the sport's rules needed to follow that logic.

"The automotive companies who were very involved told us that they're never going to make another [new] internal combustion engine again," Tombazis was quoted as saying by Motorsport. com . Then look what happened.