Four races. Australia, China, Japan, and Miami. That’s how long the electric Formula 1 experiment, which the FIA, Liberty Media, and the teams decided to launch this season, was supposed to last, theoretically until 2031. Formula 1 has reversed course and agreed changes for the coming season.
Next year the engines of Formula 1 will have less electricity and more combustion. The initial plan is for the thermal part to reach 60%, reducing the electric motor to 40%. It will be done through the fuel flow, but it will only be a temporary patch while a still larger change is pursued.
The combustion part will again take precedence over the electric in Formula 1 engines
As much as Formula 1 tried to disguise it, the new technical regulation was unsustainable. And they only took four races to yield to pressure and rectify. From next season, Formula 1 engines will again have more combustion and less electricity. A change that is considered useful, but still insufficient.
Formula 1 will move from a 50/50 or, in the best case, a 55/45, to a 60/40 power split in favor of combustion. That is, from the next season the thermal engine will account for 60% of the thrust, while the electric part is reduced to 40%. It is not a panacea, but it is what could be achieved at the moment.
To implement rule changes for the upcoming season, approval from at least four of the five engine manufacturers was required, which has not been easy given that Mercedes has been dominating and both Audi and Honda joined Formula 1 to boost electricity. But in the end everyone yielded, seeing that they were harming the big business.
The FIA will try to subject the change by increasing the fuel flow of the thermal engines, and with the obsession to end the harmful superclipping. That is, the battery recharge on the main straight that used to force drivers to downshift even in the straight during qualifying. The aim is to minimize electrical dependence as much as possible.
This is a short-term patch parallel to the ultimate solution that is being worked on in the longer term. And indeed the FIA has very much on track new 2.4-liter turbo V8 engines with a simple attached MGU-K. The problem is that unilaterally they would have to wait until 2031 to introduce them, so if they want to do it sooner, talk of 2028 surfaces; it will require negotiation.
The 2026 season will already end with the engines we have, but it is absurd that there had to be a wait to put the cars on track to discover something they had been warning about for years.
Images | Formula 1
