FIA Says OEMs Blocked 2026 F1 Rule Fixes

Nikolas Tombazis says the FIA saw many of Formula 1’s 2026 rules problems coming as early as 2022, but could not prevent them before the season because the sport’s governance system gave power-unit manufacturers a veto over major changes.

The FIA single-seater director said the federation had identified the risks in simulations “back in 2022 or so”, including the challenge of the near-50/50 split between internal combustion and electrical power, but was left exposed once the project had gone too far. “As simulations came in back in 2022 or so, we knew there were these issues,” Tombazis told The Race. “But we were a bit too far down the line there to change things and some people had committed too much resource.”

That matters because the FIA could not simply rewrite the package on its own. Tombazis said the governance agreement created for the 2026 power-unit era was meant to protect both incumbent manufacturers and new entrants such as Audi, including by making sure a newcomer could not stay outside Formula 1 and outspend everyone else. But the same structure also limited the FIA’s room to act, because significant changes needed backing from the FIA, Formula One Management and four of the five manufacturers involved.

“Quite simply, four of them did not agree during the years when we discussed adjustments,” Tombazis said.

The comments come after renewed criticism from drivers as energy-management weaknesses have been exposed on circuits such as Spa-Francorchamps. Carlos Sainz, a Grand Prix Drivers’ Association director, said: “Whoever saw these simulations in 2022, 2023 and didn't look at it and say, 'how can we even accept that?' needs to review what happened there because it should have never happened.” Lewis Hamilton was also critical, saying: “I don't know who made the decision, but whoever it is, they've still got their job.”

Tombazis argued that none of that backlash was unexpected. “Drivers are, by definition, quite demanding clients,” he said. “We did anticipate a lot of these things they have complained about in the two years before the launch of the season, and we did try to make some adjustments. But we failed with the governance that was in place. So I think it was realistically only to be expected.”

He said the governance model was introduced because Formula 1 needed to balance the interests of existing engine suppliers with incoming manufacturers at a time when greater electrification was central to attracting them. Tombazis compared the arrangement to the Concorde Agreement on the team side and said it was binding on the FIA, FOM and the power-unit manufacturers, while also setting financial and operational limits before the new era began.

Once the season started and the problems became visible, Formula 1 moved more quickly. Emergency measures to improve energy management were introduced from the Miami Grand Prix, and the longer-term rules direction has now shifted away from the nominal 50/50 split. The plan is for a 58/42 balance in favor of the combustion engine in 2027, before moving to 60/40 by 2028.

Tombazis said those changes should have come much sooner. “I think it's a bit of a shame that we had to wait until we discussed things in May and get to a package for 2027 and for 2028,” he said. “I think we could have ideally done that a couple of years before and then there wouldn't have been all of this discussion.”