Formula One leaders have agreed proposed engine changes for the 2027 and 2028 seasons, a shift meant to ease the heavy energy management burden drivers face on every lap and to calm a fight that has run through the paddock for months.
The move gives the sport a staged path away from the current 53-47 split between combustion and electrical power, with 2027 set to move to 58-42 and 2028 to 60-40. The 2027 package also includes a 5% fuel flow increase and lifts maximum internal combustion output from 400kW to 420kW, while the 2028 plan goes further with a 13% fuel flow increase and a 450kW ceiling. The proposals now await formal approval from the world motorsport council in Macau on 23 June.
The timing matters because the current rules have become a flashpoint far beyond the usual technical argument. Drivers have complained that the system forces too much harvesting and recharging during races, and Max Verstappen has repeatedly threatened to leave Formula One over the issue, calling the rules “anti-racing.”
That anger helped push the FIA, teams, engine manufacturers and F1’s owners into talks about a compromise. In May, they had already agreed in principle to a 60-40 split in favour of the combustion engine, but Audi and Ferrari were believed to have objected to bringing that in as soon as next year. The new plan softens the first step rather than forcing a full jump immediately.
Verstappen, however, is unlikely to see the 2027 figure as enough on its own. He had said a 60-40 split would be the “bare minimum” he would accept, and the compromise now sits at 58-42 for 2027 before reaching 60-40 a year later. That leaves the Dutch driver, and the manufacturers who have already spent heavily on the power units, waiting to see whether the revised path goes far enough to stop the criticism.
The FIA said it would “now expedite the formal approval process to provide all parties with early clarity and sufficient time to adapt to the revised requirements.” That matters because any change has to be agreed before the end of June to be in place for next season, and Verstappen is due to speak on Thursday before the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix. The real test now is whether the compromise survives the vote in Macau, or whether the same arguments that forced it into stages keep the sport in the same place for longer.
