F1 2027 Engine Rules: Why F1 Is Moving Away From the 50-50 Power Split

• Formula 1 has agreed in principle to shift the power split from roughly 50-50 between the internal combustion engine and electrical systems to approximately 60-40 in favour of the ICE from 2027 onwards.
• The change responds to sustained driver criticism of the 2026 regulations, with Max Verstappen calling battery-boosted overtaking “anti-racing” and Fernando Alonso labelling the current era the “battery world championship.”
• The technical adjustment involves increasing ICE power by approximately 50kW through higher fuel flow while reducing ERS deployment power by the same margin, taking maximum combustion output to around 400kW (536bhp).

F1 2027 Engine Rules: What Is Changing and Why

The F1 2027 engine rules will move the sport away from its current near-equal split between combustion and electrical power. On 8 May 2026, F1 bosses and teams agreed in principle to shift the power unit balance to approximately 60-40 in favour of the internal combustion engine by making hardware changes to the engines. The decision follows months of vocal criticism from drivers who have argued that the 2026 regulations reward battery management over racing ability. The changes still need to be ratified by the World Motor Sport Council later in the year, but the agreement signals a clear willingness to address the problems that have defined the opening races of the new era.

Why Drivers Have Called for Change

The 2026 technical regulations introduced a near 50-50 split between power generated by the internal combustion engine and the energy recovery system. That design placed heavy demands on drivers to manage battery harvesting through techniques like lifting and coasting at the end of straights, a practice known as “superclipping.” The result, according to several leading drivers, was a form of racing where managing energy mattered more than outright speed or racecraft.

Max Verstappen has been the most outspoken critic. After the Chinese Grand Prix earlier in 2026, he dismissed the new cars entirely.

“It’s still terrible. I don’t know, if someone likes this, then you really don’t know what racing is about. It’s not fun at all. It’s playing Mario Kart. This is not racing.”

Verstappen has described the battery-boosted style of overtaking as “anti-racing,” arguing that the skill being rewarded by the new regulations is increasingly detached from the physical act of driving. He has also joked about practicing on a Nintendo Switch rather than his team’s simulator.

Fernando Alonso has been equally blunt. The Aston Martin driver called the starts the most enjoyable part of each race because they are “the only time we all have the same charge level and at full power.” He rechristened the sport the “battery world championship,” a phrase that quickly became shorthand for everything drivers disliked about the new power units.

Reigning world champion Lando Norris delivered a stark assessment during the Miami Grand Prix weekend, stating that the tweaks introduced for that race were “a small step in the right direction, but it’s not to the level that Formula One should still be at yet.” When asked what the real solution looked like, Norris was direct.

“You just have to get rid of the battery. Hopefully, in a few years, that’s the case.”

Norris added that drivers are still penalised for trying to run flat out everywhere, something that was never an issue under previous regulations. He said the current rules “take too much control away from drivers.”

The Technical Changes Coming in 2027

The agreement reached on 8 May 2026 outlines a specific set of hardware adjustments designed to rebalance the power unit. The core change involves increasing internal combustion engine output by approximately 50kW (67bhp) through a proportional rise in fuel flow, taking maximum ICE power to around 400kW (536bhp). At the same time, the maximum deployment power from the energy recovery system will be reduced by 50kW, capping it at approximately 300kW (402bhp).

The practical effect is significant. Under the 2026 rules, drivers spend large portions of each lap lifting off the throttle to harvest energy for the battery. With more power coming from the combustion engine and less required from the ERS, the need for superclipping at the end of straights drops considerably. ICE power is linear and responds directly to throttle input in a way drivers can feel and predict, while ERS deployment arrives in large, sudden increments that are harder to control. Shifting the balance back towards the combustion engine should make the cars more intuitive to drive and reduce the yo-yo effect during overtaking, where cars on different energy deployment modes would gain and lose speed unpredictably.

The previous generation of V6 turbo hybrid engines that ran from 2014 to 2025 operated at roughly an 80-20 split in favour of the combustion engine. The 2026 move to near-parity between ICE and ERS was intended to make Formula 1 more road-relevant by increasing the emphasis on electrical technology. The 2027 adjustment walks that ambition back without abandoning it entirely.

The Miami GP as a Testing Ground

The Miami Grand Prix was the first race of the 2026 season to feature a package of smaller tweaks aimed at curbing superclipping and reducing the extreme closing speed differences caused by cars running different energy deployment modes. The race at the Miami International Autodrome was entertaining, with Kimi Antonelli winning after a dramatic 57-lap contest that featured a first-lap spin from Verstappen, a Safety Car period, and a chaotic final lap at the semi-permanent street circuit.

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff pointed to Miami as evidence that the regulations were producing good racing, telling media after the race: “If there’s one single person that complains about the race today, I think they should hide, honestly.” He called it “great, great advertising for Formula 1.”

But the drivers who finished on the podium were less convinced. While the spectacle was there, Norris and others indicated that the underlying issues with energy management had not been solved by the Miami tweaks alone, which is part of what prompted the broader 2027 agreement five days later.

What Still Needs to Happen

The 8 May agreement is not yet final. The FIA’s statement after the meeting outlined the scope and intent of the changes but stopped short of confirming a locked-in regulatory package.

“Turning to the longer-term measures, there was unanimous commitment to introduce changes which further enhanced fair and safe competition, that were intuitive for drivers and teams and were in the best interests of the sport.”

The statement also confirmed that detailed technical work remains before the rules can be finalised.

“It was agreed that further detailed discussion in technical groups comprising teams and Power Unit Manufacturers was required before the final package was decided.”

Manufacturers will need to assess the ramifications of the changes. Any adjustment to fuel-flow limits could require a rethink of existing engine designs, meaning development costs and timelines will factor into the final package. The rules must be ratified by the World Motor Sport Council later in the year before taking effect for the 2027 season. Major changes to the 2026 engines mid-season remain off the table because of the existing designs already in use.

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Written by

Jack Renn

Jack Renn is an editor at F1 Chronicle and a veteran motorsport journalist with 25 years of experience covering Formula 1 and international motorsport. A member of the Association Internationale de la Presse Sportive (AIPS), the global body representing accredited sports journalists, Jack has spent his career reporting from paddocks and press rooms across the F1 calendar. His work spans race analysis, technical insight, and in-depth features, giving readers authoritative coverage grounded in decades of firsthand experience at the highest level of the sport.

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