The rule change and the drivers demands
F1 chiefs are looking at a major overhaul of the engine formula. The target is 2027. The FIA wants to redraw the energy split. The combustion engine would get an extra 50 kilowatts. The electric side would be cut back accordingly. Right now, the setup is a clean 50-50 split. The new plan would tilt it to 60 per cent against 40 per cent. Max Verstappen wants that change brought in now. He has made it clear he wants no part of the current technical package. The Dutch star says the present electrical system is basically anti-racing. For Verstappen, staying in the sport depends on these changes being pushed through.
Manufacturer pushback and the budget squeeze
The proposal needs a majority vote to pass. Four of the six manufacturers have to back it. Several teams do not want late changes to the chassis rules. Raising the fuel flow would force a full structural rethink of the cars. Audi is against the timetable. The German marque does not want to bankroll unexpected extra research costs. The estimate puts the bill at an extra eight million dollars per team. Ferrari wants the whole thing pushed back to 2028. The Italian outfit is guarding its own interests tied to the performance compensation system. Mercedes supports the plan. Red Bull Ford is also backing the technical tweak. Verstappen’s demands cut straight across the financial plans of the engine makers.
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The institutional deadlock and the commercial fallout
The FIA is steering the talks in the paddock. Nikolas Tombazis has been holding one meeting after another. With no unanimous agreement, the whole process is stuck. Race chiefs are now looking at ways around the logjam. One option being discussed is scrapping several pre-race reconnaissance laps. Another is trimming the distance of certain Grands Prix. McLaren bosses want the bigger picture kept in mind when it comes to the car market. Keeping the current hybrid rules in place could put Verstappen’s contract commitment in doubt. Andrea Stella is urging engineers to prove the battery gains can be made work. The championship’s commercial value rests on what the cars can actually do on track. Verstappen’s ultimatum has left the sport’s ruling body under serious pressure. Lose him early, and the product takes a huge hit worldwide.
Photo by Marcel van Dorst / NurPhoto via AFP
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