The FIA has already made its position clear regarding the next F1 engine regulations. Although the current rules within the premier class are still a popular topic of discussion in the paddock, the governing body is already looking ahead to the next regulations for 2031. The FIA emphasizes that it refuses to be ‘held hostage’ by ‘car manufacturers who decide whether or not to be part of our sport’.
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There is still much discussion about the current regulations within Formula 1. Nevertheless, the FIA is already focusing on the next regulatory cycle. The governing body is concerned about how much influence engine suppliers can exert on the next regulations, which are expected to come into force from 2031.
FIA top official Nikolas Tombazis, director of single-seaters within the governing body, already pointed to a significant change in the broader automotive sector since the current rules were first established. “Well, first of all, it is true that the political landscape has changed,” he said in a media session last Monday. “And when we discussed the current regulations at the time, the car manufacturers, who were closely involved, told us that they would never make a new internal combustion engine again. They would gradually phase out these engines and be fully electric by a certain year, for example. That clearly hasn’t happened.”
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‘No hostages of car manufacturers’
As a result, the FIA has already started thinking at an early stage about what the next engine formula for F1 could look like. According to Tombazis, it is particularly important for the governing body that the premier class is not exposed to the changing commitments of engine manufacturers. “We must indeed protect the sport in the future against the global macroeconomic situation,” he said. “That means we must not become hostages of car manufacturers who decide whether or not to be part of our sport.”
The FIA chief emphasized that attracting manufacturers remains important. However, this should not come at the expense of the sport’s independence. “We absolutely want them to be part of our sport. That’s why we’ve worked so hard to attract new manufacturers,” he continued. “But we also cannot be in a position where we suddenly become vulnerable if they decide they don’t want to participate.”
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