More ICE, Less Electric for 2027: F1 Agrees to Change Balance of Power Next Season

F1 Agrees: More ICE, Less Electric Power in 2027Icon Sportswire - Getty Images

Formula 1 is set to undergo further changes to the power unit regulations in 2027, in an effort to improve the racing and address the issues that have arisen over the first four race weekends of this season.

While some refinements were introduced for last weekend’s Miami Grand Prix, the sport has already targeted more comprehensive changes for next season, with essentially a greater focus on the combustion engine, and less on electrical deployment. The plan was agreed to in a virtual meeting on Friday involving the FIA, F1, the teams, and the power unit manufacturers, following the similar gathering on April 20 that led to the Miami rule tweaks.

In a statement, the FIA said that there was “unanimous commitment to introduce changes which further enhanced fair and safe competition, that were intuitive for drivers and teams and were in the best interests of the sport.”

In explaining the change in the split of power, the FIA noted that the measures agreed in principle today for 2027 would see “a nominal increase in Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) power by ~50 kW [67 horsepower] with a fuel-flow increase, and a nominal reduction of the Energy Recovery System (ERS) deployment power by ~50 kW.”

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Fuel flow has long been touted as the easiest way to boost ICE power. However, it could not be done within 2026 due to hardware considerations—for example, the requirement for a larger fuel tank capacity within the chassis. Now that the principle agreed to, the technical details will be discussed further by the teams and power unit manufacturers, and the final outcome will have to be rubber-stamped by the World Motor Sport Council.