Formula 1 team bosses have reportedly urged the FIA to complete the process of finalising the long-awaited 2026 engine regulations by the time the sport’s summer break starts.
Alpine team principal Otmar Szafnauer recently said the “big things have been decided” surrounding the new engine formula, which is being crafted with the aim of becoming more sustainable, that having been a significant negotiating point for Porsche and Audi’s potential entry into the sport from 2026.
Once the regulations are confirmed, Audi and Porsche reportedly have 15 days to then decide whether or not they will enter the sport, but Auto Motor und Sport report both would like to announce their entry soon, at a race weekend.
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has said significant compromises have been made to try and bring the two brands, owned by the Volkswagen Group, into Formula 1, including the removal of the MGU-H component of the power unit, and both brands will only definitively decide on their entry once the rules have been finalised on paper.
“It is not possible to make such a decision dependent on the regulations because they are constantly changing in our business,” said Wolff, quoted by AMuS.
“We can expect a decision from the newcomers, especially as we have made big steps towards them.”
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Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto added: “We have agreed to many compromises. A precise formulation of the rules takes time. The established manufacturers are just as unwilling as Audi and Porsche and the FIA [to compromise], which is conducting these discussions.”
The Formula 1 Commission met in Austria to continue discussions over the new engine rules, with FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem also saying the regulations are close to completion.
A fully sustainable fuel formula has reportedly been agreed, although the amount of time available for engine dyno tests, which measure engine power, under the sport’s budget cap is said to be one of the final sticking points in negotiations – with Ben Sulayem given the final say on how those regulations will take shape.
AMuS’ report claims Formula 1’s managing director of motorsport, Ross Brawn, has now said any outstanding decisions surrounding the new rulebook now lay with Ben Sulayem and the FIA, and Formula 1 itself wants to see them announced before the summer break – which starts after the Hungarian Grand Prix on July 31.
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