F1: rule chaos, but what will happen in 2027?
With intellectual honesty, it is hard not to describe as ‘a great chaos’ what the FIA and F1 are dealing with to finalize the 2026 regulations and those for the coming years.
During the ongoing season, some corrections have been made – and further ones have never been ruled out – and last May 8 it was triumphantly announced that an agreement had been reached among all parties involved to achieve a 60:40 split between thermal and electric power from 2027.
However, in the paddock in Canada, a less serene and defined scenario emerged, as several engine manufacturers reportedly resisted, as did many teams. Various issues were flagged as problematic, from the implementation of the ADUO with the design of a different power unit for next year, to the issue of cost increases, up to the topic of fuel tanks and chassis that many teams had confided would carry over from 2026 to 2027.
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Fewer laps in 2027: what is known?
The many behind-the-scenes discussions reportedly led the FIA – according to Auto, Motor und Sport – to backtrack, to find a compromise acceptable to FOM, engine manufacturers, and teams.
Two waves of changes: a moderate increase in fuel flow and a reduction in the number of GP laps in 2027, and in 2028 the shift to the 60:40 ratio between thermal and electric power, initially planned for next year.
Many have been alarmed by the hypothesis of reducing the number of GP laps. Let’s clarify immediately: this is also not a radical change. No second Sprint and no halving of race time to accommodate the reduced ability of new generations to maintain focus.
The proposal put forward by the team principals was as follows: to allow the use of current chassis and fuel tanks also for the 2027 season, given the increase in fuel flow and thus consumption, it was hypothesized that in some selected races the total number of laps could be shortened by 1 or 2, limiting formation laps to 1 to join the starting grid.
This is the proposal on the FIA’s table, which does not currently seem to face major opposition.
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