Only F1’s struggling teams are complaining about 2026 rules – Ben Sulayem

FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem dismissed criticism of Formula 1’s new power units but confirmed he is pushing to bring forward their replacement.

The FIA announced F1’s latest engine regulations in the year following Ben Sulayem’s election as president. Following their introduction this year, some drivers, team members and fans criticised the effect they had on racing and single-lap performance.

However Ben Sulayem said that criticism has mostly come from teams who have found themselves in a less competitive position than they enjoyed last year.

“We consulted with the power unit manufacturers and we consulted with teams,” Ben Sulayem told Forbes. “When I took over, it was 2022 – it was signed in 2022, in August.

“But this didn’t come in eight months. It has been [discussed] for 18 months, collectively, with all of the teams, and then was introduced.

“Everybody had the same time: if you look at August of 2022 and then the implementation in the [first] test they did which was in Barcelona [this year], that was enough time for everyone.

“Some of them had an issue with the car – [some] the power unit and some with the chassis – but it’s amazing how only the people who are behind who are complaining. Did you hear Mercedes or Ferrari complain? No, of course they won’t. It’s a cycle.

“It’s today you have someone who is so good, and then everybody wants to be taking his place. And that’s the competitors, being competitive. But [the criticism is] only from the people who maybe didn’t do it right.”

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However the FIA has conceded some improvements are needed to its 2026 rules. In order to begin addressing some of the concerns expressed by drivers and others the FIA agreed a package of changes to the regulations, most of which were introduced at the last round in Miami.

“We had a discussion after Australia, we had to discuss it with our technical department and the single-seater [commission] and then we came with consultation with the drivers. So we consulted with the drivers [on] how to apply the electrification, and a matter of safety, and now it seems it’s better.

“To do that, for the FIA, it’s our responsibility. We don’t take decisions just because we feel like it. We engage, we consult, we take all of the information and then we see what’s the best for everyone, not the best single team.”

The FIA has also announced a more significant change to its engine rules for next year. The power units will be rebalanced so that more power is produced by the combustion engine instead of the electrical systems. This represents a major departure from the original vision of a power unit where energy generation was shared 50-50 between the two sides.

Ben Sulayem is also looking to bring forward plans to replace the current power units. He said the transition to synthetic fuel this year has created the opportunity for F1 to return to a largely combustion-based power unit which he envisages will offer similar efficiency and power as the current engines but be lighter and cheaper to develop.

“The new engine, we talked about a V8, and I’m more now thinking of bringing the V8 back because in the end of 2030 the FIA gets back the power to do the engine without even having to go through a vote,” he said. “But we need we would like to make it one year earlier.”

Replacing the current power unit rules after 2029 would mean they spent just four years in service compared to 12 for the previous regulations.

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