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The regulations for F1’s new era of fully sustainable fuel-powered cars were published earlier this year, and potential entrants were initially given a deadline of 15 October to sign up. While newcomer Audi was the first to do so, several current manufacturers baulked, prompting an agreement to postpone the deadline – first to 15 November, but later pushed back further. The subject cannot be delayed much longer because F1 engine manufacturers for 2026 must adhere to a new power unit cost cap that takes effect on January 1, 2023. The delay in getting everyone on board has raised concerns that some of F1’s current entrants may opt out, but Ben Sulayem believes there is nothing to worry about.
He claims that the current delays were caused solely by teams requiring legal clarification on specific wordings before committing, while larger difficulties affecting rules had been overcome. When asked about the delays, he said, “There was a bit of an issue with the compression ratio and the boost pressure, but this was sorted by the teams.” “But, to be honest, when you have someone fresh [like Audi], the old ones will always reject it, and they will have a lot more strong means to argue it with the FIA.” “However, if one is signed, then the second, and then the third, you’ll see it’s done.”
Many current F1 teams are confident that the FIA has everything under control and will get everyone signed up. “There was no formal deadline,” Mercedes chief Toto Wolff stated at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. There was nothing in the laws that specified it had to be the 15th of October; it was up to the FIA to decide when that was. “And we have entered, that is true. And now it’s up to the FIA to communicate with everyone else. As far as I can tell, these negotiations are moving forward, so we’re on track for 2026.”
“The deadlines were extended,” Red Bull CEO Christian Horner added, “but there’s an awful lot of discussion about governance and tidying up some of the technical regs and obviously financial regs as well.” “So, Red Bull Powertrains has entered as a newbie for 2026.” It’s an exciting time for the group and the organisation, with a new task to face and a lot to do between now and 2026.” The most uncertainty currently surrounds Ferrari, which has been preoccupied by the resignation of team principal Mattia Binotto, and newcomer Porsche, which was mulling an F1 entry with Red Bull before talks fell through.
