The FIA wants to reduce the sport’s reliance on battery power and give more of the workload back to the internal combustion engine. The change is designed to make the cars feel more natural to drive, reduce heavy energy management and improve the racing spectacle.
Under the proposed plan, Formula 1 will move away from the much-discussed near 50:50 split between combustion power and electric power. The first step will come in 2027, when the balance is expected to shift to 58:42 in favour of the combustion engine. In 2028, the target is a 60:40 split.
According to RacingNews365’s report on the FIA announcement, the change will be achieved by increasing fuel flow to the internal combustion engine by 5 percent in 2027 and by 13 percent in 2028. The proposal is due to be put before the FIA World Motor Sport Council on June 23, where approval is widely expected.
Why the FIA is changing course
The issue has been one of the biggest technical talking points around Formula 1’s new power unit rules.
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The current concept gives the electric side of the engine a much larger role than in previous F1 hybrid eras. That fits with the sport’s long-term push toward road-relevant technology and sustainable fuels, but it has also created a practical problem on track.
When the battery runs low, drivers can suddenly lose a large amount of power. That has forced them to manage energy more carefully during a lap, rather than attacking flat out. For fans, it can make the racing harder to read. For drivers, it changes the way they fight for position.
The concern is not simply that the cars are slower at certain points. It is that the performance can drop in a way that feels artificial, with drivers sometimes forced to save energy instead of racing directly.
Drivers wanted a more natural car
The FIA’s move is a response to repeated complaints from drivers who felt the new balance had gone too far toward electrical deployment.
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The goal is not to abandon hybrid technology. Formula 1 still wants to keep its link to future road-car development and sustainable fuel. But the sport also needs the cars to remain exciting, predictable and raceable.
As The Guardian reported, the compromise is aimed at addressing driver dissatisfaction while avoiding a sudden redesign that would create major cost and development problems for manufacturers.
That balance matters. Mercedes, Ferrari, Red Bull-Ford, Honda, Audi and Cadillac all have different interests in the coming engine era. Some manufacturers have already invested heavily in the current rules, while others have pushed for more aggressive changes.
What will change in 2027 and 2028
The first adjustment is expected in 2027. Formula 1 will move to a 58:42 power split, giving the combustion engine a larger share of the car’s total output.
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That will be followed by a second step in 2028, when the balance is set to become 60:40. By phasing in the change over two years, the FIA is trying to give teams and power unit manufacturers enough time to adapt without forcing a full technical reset.
The change should mean more consistent power delivery across a lap. In simple terms, drivers should be less likely to feel the car run out of electrical support at key moments.
That could improve qualifying, wheel-to-wheel racing and overtaking. It may also reduce some of the strange tactical effects created by heavy battery management, where drivers sometimes have to back off in places where fans expect them to push.
A compromise between racing and technology
FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has presented the proposal as a collaborative step rather than a retreat.
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He said Formula 1 has always had to evolve when faced with new challenges, and described the changes as part of the FIA’s responsibility to protect the future of the championship.
That wording is important. The FIA does not want the changes to look like a rejection of the hybrid direction. Instead, it is framing them as a refinement of rules that were too ambitious in their original form.
Formula 1 is trying to serve several audiences at once. It must satisfy drivers who want cars they can race properly. It must keep manufacturers interested in technology that still has road-car relevance. And it must give fans a product that feels fast, dramatic and easy to follow.
The proposed engine changes are an attempt to bring those interests closer together.
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The bigger picture for Formula 1
The decision also shows how quickly Formula 1 is willing to react when new regulations threaten the quality of the racing.
Engine rules usually define an era. They shape car design, team investment, manufacturer strategy and the competitive order for years. Changing them so soon is not a small move.
But the FIA appears to have accepted that the original power split risked creating too much energy saving and not enough pure racing. By giving the combustion engine more influence again, Formula 1 hopes to keep the hybrid concept while making the cars more instinctive for drivers.
The World Motor Sport Council vote on June 23 is now the next key step. If the proposal passes as expected, F1’s next engine era will still be hybrid, still technical and still tied to sustainability, but with a stronger emphasis on the part of the car drivers say they need most, usable power, lap after lap.
