Formula 1 chiefs agree on 2027 engine changes to address driver concerns

Formula 1 bosses and the FIA have unanimously agreed to alter engine designs for the 2027 season following intense driver criticism over the current power units.

The decision was reached in principle during a meeting between teams, commercial rights holders and the governing body on Friday.

Drivers have consistently complained that the near 50-50 split between internal combustion and electrical power diminishes the pure challenge of qualifying.

At present, the grid requires complex energy management techniques such as recovering power while completely on the throttle.

Combustion power increased

This specific electrical harvesting leads to frustrating speed drop-offs before corners and through fast sweeping curves.

To resolve these handling issues, the proportion of total power coming from the internal combustion engine will increase by 50kW (67bhp).

Correspondingly, the electrical power output will be reduced by the exact same amount to restore traditional driving dynamics.

The shift aims to allow competitors to drive in a much more conventional and aggressive manner during crucial qualifying sessions.

Development challenge accepted

While the exact technical details still need to be ratified by manufacturers, the FIA confirmed the overarching changes received unanimous backing.

These structural adjustments will undoubtedly demand significant development to existing engine architectures over the coming years.

“Everybody is in the mood for a challenge,” a senior insider revealed following the Friday summit.

The grid also acknowledged that recent engine operation tweaks implemented for last weekend’s Miami Grand Prix were positive.

Drivability concerns remain

Competitors almost universally agreed that the Florida adjustments represented a necessary improvement.

However, McLaren driver Lando Norris cautioned that the elite motorsport series still has further progress to make regarding drivability.

“It’s a small step in the right direction, but it’s not to the level that Formula 1 should still be at yet,” the British driver stated.

“If you go flat out everywhere and you try pushing like you were in previous years, you still just get penalised for it.”

“You should never get penalised for that kind of thing and you still do,” Norris concluded.