Shorter races needed? F1's 2027 rule changes face big complications

The FIA’s achievement in getting teams and manufacturers to agree ‘in principle’ to a hardware shift for 2027 has lifted hopes of a Formula 1 where cars are much less energy starved.

It signals an acceptance from all parties that the famed 50/50 power split between the internal combustion engine and electrical energy has not been ideal - and that rather than simply tinkering around the edges, a more wholesale change of concept is needed.

While the transition to a more amenable 60/40 formula seems quite straightforward in theory, like most things in F1, the devil is in the detail.

This manifests itself in some big practical hurdles needing to be overcome, and political battles to be won, before any new rules can come into play.

And sources have revealed some key discussion points that have emerged so far and will need addressing.

What has been agreed

What is important to remember is that Friday’s unanimous support was not for specific regulation changes – it was for the concept of a tweak in the energy and power levels of the car.

Focused on addressing the specific problem that energy limitations have triggered a qualifying spectacle and challenge that is lacking – as well as the need for counterintuitive driving – the aim is to get more power and energy into the mix.

Increasing the output of the internal combustion engine (ICE) by 50kW through an increase in fuel flow, alongside a reduction in electrical deployment by 50kW should certainly deliver a much better equilibrium.

But they are not the only aspects that are going to be evaluated in closer details by technical experts over the next few weeks.

The Race understands that also in the mix is an increase in harvesting limits – to be raised from the current 350kW – as well as the potential for bigger batteries.

Right now, battery capacity is capped at 4MJ. One solution to be evaluated is to raise this to 5MJ.

More power in, captured faster, with greater capacity for storage and then a slower release, should get F1 into a place where speed profiles are more normal and the worst anomalies of the current rule set are mostly wiped away.

But nothing is ever simple in F1 and to even get these changes across the line is fraught with difficulties. 

The chassis complication

The reference in the FIA press release to a fuel flow increase gives us the first clue to one of the major difficulties in play.

Increasing the fuel flow rate will mean that more fuel will be required, and that will have consequences on fuel tank size for the race.

In a regular year, this would simply mean making the fuel tanks bigger in the new cars for next year.

But there is a specific complication in play that means the situation is not so straightforward for 2027.

Amid the challenges imposed by the current cost cap, especially with expenses having been so high for the all-new rules set, teams have been looking to reduce spending a bit for 2027 to get things back on an even keel and allow more budget to be freed up for development.

The Race understands that several squads – and maybe even as many as half the grid – were considering carrying over their 2026 chassis into next year. This would be incompatible with the need to have bigger fuel tanks.

So if the FIA is to get the fuel flow limit raised, then some form of compromise is going to need to be made on this front – and this will be especially true if bigger batteries become part of the plan too.

There are realistically three options in play here.

The first is to give a cost cap concession, so teams are given some extra spending freedom to commit to a new chassis for next year rather than spending in this area risking them either going above the cost cap or having to reduce expenditure elsewhere.

The second option would be more controversial in that, if the fuel tank sizes cannot be changed, then the only way to proceed with an increased fuel flow rate would be to reduce the race distance to compensate.

It is suggested that the planned fuel flow increase to produce an extra 50kW is around 10%, so this would most likely require cutting this amount off the total race distance.

The third option, which may be one that is easier to achieve without triggering unintended consequences, would be to lift the fuel flow rate for qualifying but then cut it back to current levels for the race so fuel burn is identical to this season.

This would then ensure the cars are running closer to normal speed profiles on Saturdays, with the lower fuel flow rate for Sunday not really being as big a cause for concern based on the entertaining racing we have seen.

This solution could then act as a stepping stone to the full implementation of the package for 2028 across the entire weekend.

The ADUO issue

The raising of the power contribution from the internal combustion engine will require some reworking of designs by manufacturers.

A 50kW change may not sound a great deal, but current components will have been designed around the limits in place for 2026 – and not stress tested to run harder and faster.

Getting parts more robust for next year is achievable in the current timeframe, but there are some political considerations that will be central to getting things across the line.

One issue that will need resolving is where any change to the ICE element fits in with the Additional Design and Upgrade Opportunities (ADUO) regulations.

The ADUO catch-up mechanism is based on real-time analysis of current engine performance. With strict homologation regulations in play, it revolves around some parameters that should be fairly fixed.

If the fuel flow rate goes up, then that is effectively a revamping of the power units – and would mean that any manufacturers that were granted ADUO for this season would have a material advantage heading into 2027 because of more test bench hours and greater development budget to work on the redesigned engines.

This is a scenario that some manufacturers may not feel is acceptable, with the situation potentially only being resolved if ADUO benefits are reset totally for the start of next season.

But how that then fits in with the extra assistance that Honda is in desperate need to help it catch up is unclear.

Unlike the fuel tank/chassis issue, the political dynamics involving ADUO and engine development are far more complicated.

It is against the reality of this backdrop that the FIA only went as far in its post-meeting press release as stating the 50/50 element was agreed “in principle”.

Now, with detailed technical discussions set to begin, and proper analysis of the implications exposed, will we start getting a clearer picture on whether change can really be achieved in time for the start of 2027.