FIA approves mid-season rule fixes and agrees 2027 power unit rebalance

Written by Kavi Khandelwal

In an online meeting held on 8 May, the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) convened Team Principals, Formula One Management and representatives from all five Power Unit Manufacturers to discuss further evolutionary changes to the 2026 technical framework — and left with a raft of proposals agreed in principle.

Credit: Formula 3

The rule tweaks introduced at the Miami Grand Prix — designed to improve safety and reduce the excessive harvesting that had plagued the opening rounds — were given a positive review. The FIA confirmed no material issues or safety concerns had emerged from their implementation. Competition, they noted, had improved. A rare piece of good news in what has been a turbulent regulation cycle.

But Miami was only the beginning.

Further adjustments are still being evaluated, with improved start-safety revisions and measures for wet-weather conditions in the pipeline. Teams will be notified once those are finalised.

The bigger conversation, though, was about the longer term.

For 2027, the FIA has agreed in principle to a fundamental shift in the power balance between combustion and electrical systems. The proposal would see Internal Combustion Engine output increase by approximately 50kW — accompanied by a fuel-flow increase — while ERS deployment power would be reduced by a corresponding 50kW. More grunt from the combustion side.

Less reliance on the electrical harvesting and deployment that has made these cars so difficult to drive and so unpredictable to watch.

It is, bluntly, an admission that the 2026 hybrid philosophy has overcomplicated the product.

Technical working groups comprising teams and Power Unit Manufacturers will now need to flesh out the fine print before any final package is locked in.

After that, the refined package goes to the Power Unit Manufacturers for a vote — and only once they have signed off does it proceed to a formal World Motor Sport Council e-vote.

The proposals, the FIA says, are the result of weeks of consultation with multi-stakeholders. Driver input was part of that process too. For once, it seems, the people actually driving these cars were listened to.

The 2026 season is still in its infancy. The championship picture is already taking shape — Kimi Antonelli has won three races in a row, Lando Norris is breathing down his neck, and the rest of the grid is scrambling to understand cars that even the engineers don't fully have a handle on yet. The last thing anyone needed was more uncertainty at the top of the sport.

The rulebook is being revised mid-season, with more revisions scheduled for the season to come.