It is believed that Mercedes, Ferrari and F1’s owner, Liberty Media are against revising the 50/50 power split introduced this season.
Little has emerged following this week’s two meetings, but what is known is that any changes to the rules will be the much talked about tweaks as opposed to a significant overhaul.
In the case of the manufacturers this is understandable, for other than having made a better job of the new rules than their rivals, between them they power around 75% of the cars on the grid.
As for Liberty Media, the sport’s main stakeholder, it is understood that its stance is down to its commitment to making the sport Net Zero Carbon by 2030, the introduction of the 50/50 split between ICE and electric power this year a major factor in its ‘factory to flag’ sustainability agenda.
Indeed, it was the move towards further electrification of the sport that encouraged Audi, Ford and GM to enter F1 and persuaded Honda to reverse its decision to quit.
Earlier this week, F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali confirmed this when he told Autosport: “The regulations we have now emerged because five years ago – though it feels like 50 years ago – the manufacturers saw that the only way to keep developing and stay involved in motorsport was with a 50-50 approach, namely between electrification and internal combustion engines, or finding the right balance between the two.
“That was the starting point. That’s why we’re in the position we are now, discussing regulations and technical aspects that of course still need to be continually refined, just like any new technology. The changes that have happened are indeed very significant – perhaps bigger than ever before.”
However, he admitted that even since the changes were first proposed, there have been seismic changes outside the sport.
“We mustn’t forget, that’s the main reason behind those major changes,” he said. “Now, looking at the current state of the automotive industry, the situation is already very different. The automotive industry is actually starting to shift back toward hybrid engines, relying more on internal combustion engines with sustainable fuels, which we’ve always emphasized from the start as something absolutely crucial for the future.”
The FIA is understood to have wanted a reduction of the battery power output, currently at 350 kW, first to 300 kw and then 200 kw, however Mercedes and Ferrari claim that this would compromise the teams as the cars were designed with the 50/50 split in mind, and any such changes would affect the cars’ balance.
Consequently, it is understood that the most likely scenario will be that maximum harvesting to the battery each lap will be limited, with talk of the current limit of 9 MJ being reduced to 6 MJ. While this will slow the cars it will also reduce the need for ‘super clipping’.
Complicating it all is the fact that the next race is Miami, a Sprint weekend, which would therefore allow little practice time. This is followed by Canada and Monaco, neither of which is ideal for testing, therefore Barcelona is likely to be the track at which the most significant changes are introduced.
“I cannot say whether the solutions will be implemented for Miami or later,” Andrea Stella told Racing News 365, “but I think there will be adjustments made in 2026 in order to improve the way in which we utilise what is available in the power unit.”
The McLaren boss was keen to make clear that, in his opinion, the talks have not been about political manoeuvring but rather the technical challenge the sport faces.
“It wasn’t difficult to identify the areas to work on, and I think all parties come with the will to find some solutions and implement them, so I don’t think it will be too much of a political game,” he said. “I think it is more of a technical challenge, like what do you do in terms of adapting what is available in the current regulations to make sure that qualifying retains these challenging elements and you are rewarded if you attack a nice, big corner, or if you are earlier on the throttle, you are not penalised because you use your battery too early.
“So I don’t think it is political,” he insisted, “it is more technical, and I would expect changes in 2026.”