(Motorsport-Total.com) – Formula 1 is taking a step back: On Friday, the FIA announced that it will adjust the power units from 2027 and shift the ratio between the internal combustion engine and electric power from the current approximately 50:50 to a future 60:40.
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A decision that can certainly be seen as an admission that the current regulations are not working as originally intended. The officials also leave open the possibility that further “adjustments” could be made before the upcoming season.
Regardless, the Formula 1 technical commission is currently reviewing a proposal to reduce the downforce of the race cars from the 2027 season by 20, 30, or even 50 points. The background: The leading teams are already achieving a higher downforce level than originally predicted.
From this, it can be concluded that this benchmark is likely to be raised even further within a few months. However, downforce and electric power are in an irreconcilable conflict because the engine has to “expend” more energy to fight against the additional downforce.
And because batteries have a lower energy density than a comparable amount of fuel, the current energy budget is depleted all too quickly. The respective downforce level also directly affects energy recovery (harvesting) and energy deployment.
Adjustments to the engine are “low-hanging fruits”
Nikolas Tombazis, the FIA’s motorsport director, acknowledged all this during a recent media round: “One of the reasons why the setup was not optimal from the start is that the cars are a bit faster,” explained the official.
“The teams generated a bit more downforce than we expected; consequently, the energy recovered during braking is somewhat less than it would be under normal circumstances. Therefore, we face a slightly bigger challenge than we would have liked.”
Reducing downforce is, however, fundamentally easier said than done. Because such measures can disproportionately affect individual teams more than others, discussions in this area often get bogged down in political battles.
In addition, as is heard, even the currently most promising options on the table foresee only a smaller reduction than would correspond to the current performance gap between the top teams and the backmarkers.
Thus, it is a problem that is recognized from all sides but for which no clearly defined solution exists yet. An adjustment of the power unit hardware therefore represents somewhat the “lowest hanging fruit” because this process is comparatively straightforward.
Why an early adjustment is so important
The corresponding agreement had to be reached at this early stage because implementing the necessary changes requires a considerable lead time. The internal combustion engines must be modified accordingly to allow higher power outputs without losing the necessary reliability.
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An increase in the fuel flow limit also requires adjustments to the monocoques because the cars will have to carry larger amounts of fuel in the future and consequently need bigger tanks. Naturally, this will also affect the vehicle weight.
The goal is to give drivers the opportunity to operate at the limit for a longer period – unlike the current situation, where a sudden power drop on the straights is an inevitable and sometimes downright absurd consequence of aggressive driving in the corners.
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One of the most common complaints from drivers in the first three races of the year was that they are effectively punished for driving as fast as possible because the fastest lap time is determined by energy management algorithms.
“The evaluation of the Miami package is ongoing, with the aim of introducing further adjustments at future events,” the FIA said in its statement. “There was consensus that further detailed discussions in technical working groups – consisting of representatives from the teams and power unit manufacturers – are necessary before the final package is adopted.”
Ratio of 60:40 is still not sufficient
What none of the parties involved has openly stated so far is the fact that in the long term, a ratio in the range of 70:30 or even 80:20 would be necessary to free Formula 1 from the peculiarities of energy management.
Max Verstappen noted in Miami that the revision made at the start of the season was only a “small fine-tuning” and that further work is still necessary. As long as faster cornering makes the straights slower, he will not be satisfied because “that’s not what it should be about.”
The change for 2027 basically means postponing the problem because the current hardware represents the fundamental limitation, as Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies explained last weekend. The hope is that this recent “patch solution” will save the current engine regulations until their expected end in 2030.
There is also hope that an agreement on the next engine regulations can be reached before the end of the year. And while a consensus seems to be emerging in favor of a return to V8 engines, displacement and the share of electric assistance remain controversial.
The crucial danger is already embedded in the changes for 2027: A less electrified engine is inevitably also a thirstier engine. At a time when Formula 1 is already struggling to contain the increasing size and mass of the cars, the next problem in the form of additional weight is already lurking…
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