Formula One agrees to engine changes from next season after widespread criticism

Formula One has agreed to make engine design changes for the 2027 season in response to the unhappiness of many leading drivers at the way this year’s new-generation engines have affected how they race.

At a meeting on Friday, the FIA, F1, teams and engine manufacturers reached an agreement, subject to formal approval, to fast-track changes to the regulations to allow fresh engines to be used next season.

The intention is to address the level of energy management drivers undertake on each lap, with the current engines at almost a 50-50 split between the internal combustion engine (ICE) and electrical energy. This has led at times to counterintuitive driving and the yo-yoing of positions that has left many drivers frustrated – as well as safety concerns because of closing speeds.

From 2027 the split will be closer to 60-40 in favour of the ICE, through an increased fuel flow to the combustion engine, and reducing the power output of the hybrid unit from 350kW to 300kW.

It is hoped the change will allow drivers to run their cars flat-out rather than having to focus on harvesting electrical energy. This will allow them to push through corners and not be penalised for doing so on the following straight due to the paucity of energy harvested though the corner, and to remove the need to recover energy while on full throttle or having to lift and coast.

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen had been an outspoken critic of how the regulations have curtailed the drivers, dismissing the biggest change in a generation as Formula E on steroids and that he was so dissatisfied he was considering his future in the sport. The Dutchman was far from alone.

After the last round in Miami, where the rules had been tweaked to mitigate some of the consequences of the energy management requirements, the defending world champion Lando Norris noted it was a small step but that it was: “not to the level that Formula One should still be at yet”.

Given the engines for next season will now need extra work and the chassis too to accommodate bigger fuel tanks, all stakeholders needed to come to an agreement quickly. The changes will now be evaluated in detail before submission for formal approval from the F1 commission, the power unit advisory committee and then the FIA’s world motor sport council.