Racing
© Jonathan Borba
The FIA has confirmed that Formula 1 will keep the expanded 2026-style power-unit component allocation in place for both 2027 and 2028, backing away from an earlier plan to tighten the limits after just one transition season.
That means drivers will continue to be allowed four internal combustion engines, four turbochargers, four exhaust systems, three MGU-K units, three energy stores, three power unit control electronics and six auxiliary power unit components per season without triggering penalties. The allocation matches the more lenient framework introduced for 2026 as F1 enters its new engine era.
The change matters because the original intention had been to treat 2026 as a one-year buffer. Under that plan, the sport would have returned in 2027 to a stricter seasonal allowance of three internal combustion engines, three turbochargers, two MGU-K units, two energy stores, two control electronics and five auxiliary components per driver. Instead, the FIA has decided against increasing the pressure on teams and manufacturers so soon after the rules reset.
The key reason is reliability risk. Formula 1's new power-unit regulations already marked a major technical shift for 2026, with a roughly 50:50 split between combustion and battery power and the removal of the MGU-H. The rules for the following two seasons then changed again, moving the balance back toward an approximately 60:40 split in favor of the internal combustion engine.
Those later changes were approved relatively late, with the relevant decisions finalized in May, shortening the development window for the new-generation power units. That left the FIA facing the prospect of cutting the penalty-free component allocation just as manufacturers had less time to prepare hardware that will be asked to survive a full season.
In practical terms, the decision is designed to reduce the chance of a wave of grid penalties in the early years of the new regulations. Compared with the limits used before 2026, the current allocation is already a step down from the component freedom teams had previously enjoyed, even before any planned 2027 tightening was considered.
The penalty structure itself does not change. If a driver exceeds the permitted number of any power-unit component, the first extra component brings a 10-place grid penalty. Any subsequent component taken beyond the limit carries a further five-place grid drop per component.
For teams trying to balance performance, durability and development under the new engine rules, keeping the higher allocation through 2028 removes one immediate pressure point and gives the championship a wider margin for reliability problems before penalties start reshaping grids.