F1 2026 engine rules spark confusion with complexity

Warnings are mounting that Formula 1 is in danger of burying itself under the weight of its own regulations, with Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport exposing the scale of complexity built into the 2026 rulebook.

Reporter Michael Schmidt gained access to FIA documents showing how energy deployment will be controlled differently at each of the 24 circuits. The new engines will combine more than 500hp of electric power with a near-600hp combustion unit, creating 1,000hp hybrids, but only if managed to the letter of the regulations.

Energy harvesting and release will be tightly prescribed - Monaco and Singapore will run restricted “Rev1” modes, while Monza qualifying will limit battery charge to just 6.0MJ per lap.

The FIA insists this is necessary to prevent dangerous top speeds and sudden power losses mid-straight.

“We will ensure that the cars don’t suddenly decelerate on the straights or do anything else unnatural,” FIA’s Nikolas Tombazis said. “Energy management will become a major challenge.”

DRS will be scrapped, replaced by an ‘override boost’ button usable only at pre-marked detection points. How powerful that aid is will vary from track to track, still being finalised with driver feedback from simulators.

The governing body is also introducing ADUO - Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities - which will hand lagging manufacturers more development scope every five or six races, echoing Balance of Performance methods used in sportscar racing.

Spending cap relief for teams suffering high engine failure rates is also being studied. Even critics argue that the new rules basically please no one, with Greenpeace telling Austria’s Krone Zeitung that the only way for Formula 1 to be genuinely sustainable is to reduce the calendar size.

“If Formula 1 wants to be credibly sustainable, it must question the scope of the sport as a whole and radically avoid emissions,” said spokesperson Ursula Bittner.