Formula 1’s governing body, the FIA, has expressed a desire for future engine development in the sport to be road-relevant to continue attracting car manufacturers.
The next set of engine regulations is already set in stone, with 2026 heralding an evolution of the 1.6 litre V6 turbocharged hybrid power units that have been in use since 2014.
For 2026, the power unit will see the removal of the MGU-H system, the introduction of fully sustainable fuels and an increased reliance on the electrical component of the hybrid system that will see a 50/50 power split between internal combustion and electrification.
This focus on sustainability has had a part in encouraging Audi, Honda and Ford to get involved in F1 engine manufacturing for 2026 and the FIA wants to ensure future regulations remain road-relevant to continue appeasing manufacturers.
“The step for 2026 is defined, but what we do in the next step afterwards is still up for discussion,” said FIA Single Seater Director Nikolas Tombazis via Motorsport.com.
“There are a lot of options still on the table; whether it is more sustainable efuels, whether it is hydrogen – in which we have quite a lot of work happening in the FIA – or whether it is more electrical.
“But we always want to remain relevant to what the OEMs that are participating want to do. We cannot go in a completely random direction that is not related to the road car.
“We need to remain road relevant, that is the key objective, and I think anyone who walks around the paddock can see there is a huge amount of challenge to tackle.”
F1 has set itself a goal of achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2030 and the 2026 engine regulations reflect the series’ bid to achieve that goal.
The sport, along with the FIA also announced the formation of a Hydrogen working group with the developing Extreme H series last month, as it continues to explore sustainability.
However, F1’s net-zero goal relies on more than just adapting engine regulations, with power units accounting for a small percentage of the sport’s overall carbon footprint.
There’s also a huge reliance on logistics, the way the calendar is constructed, supplying power to venues and other factors, as Tombazis explains.
“The element of the cars themselves, as a proportion of the overall carbon footprint, is very low,” he said.
“I think it is less than 2% overall.
“So it’s obvious that our overall responsibility for the sport needs to tackle also the other 98%, and that has to be covered with logistics, materials, numbers of components, calendars, a lot of things.
“But the car side is important from a technological point of view, in relation to the OEMs that are participating being able to work on technologies and so on.”
