Formula 1 has been steadily increasing the electrical element of its power units since introducing KERS in 2009 and making the switch from howling 2.4-litre V8s to 1.6-litre hybrid power units in 2014.
In the new 2026 regulations, the power split will be 50/50 between the stored electrical energy and the internal combustion engine.
Another cornerstone of the regulations, however, will see all teams required to run using 100% sustainable fuel, that is “either non-food-bio-derived, from genuine municipal waste or from sustainable carbon capture.”
But one criticism of the regulations is that, if sustainable fuels are being used, why can F1 not free up the regulations and allow multiple configurations, including V8s, V10s or, perhaps for those of a certain vintage, V12s?
Former Williams chief technical officer Paddy Lowe, who recently rejoined the F1 paddock through a sponsorship deal with Sauber, founded Zero Petroleum – a carbon-neutral synthetic fuel company – in 2020, and he revealed to the James Allen on F1 Podcast that this possibility had entered his thinking when creating the company.
“I’ve seen that idea for very long time, actually, and there’s an element of that in the formation of our company Zero, that type of vision,” he said.
“But whether it’s Formula 1 or some other platform, I think we will see that coming through.”
Paddy Lowe
Photo by: Adam Cooper
These comments follow those of F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali who, when speaking to select media including Autosport’s Italian sister site earlier this year, said: “As soon as the 2026 regulations are defined, we will start to think about what the next steps will be, such as the 2030 engine.
“It is a personal consideration of mine, not yet shared with the teams, even if we have spoken about it with the FIA, that if sustainable fuels work, we will need to carefully evaluate whether to continue with hybrid (technology) or whether better solutions will be available.”
But before allowing hopes of this scenario to get too high, Lowe added: “I think the point I might put in there is that Formula 1 is a hybrid formula today, that is actually a very good solution for mainstream automotive I think.
“We’ve seen this swing for total electrification demanded by governments, which is both unrealistic and not even sensible in my view. I like electric cars, but to mandate it is ridiculous.
“Formula 1 is a great example of not mandating, but giving freedom. You know, the reason we use electricity for energy storage in Formula 1, that goes back to the KERS regulations, is that that was the best solution found. It wasn’t mandated.”