Adrian Newey is under the impression the 2026 Formula 1 regulatory changes will create an engine “dominated” pecking order.
Newey is set to embark on a new challenge in March as Aston Martin’s Managing Technical Partner.
The legendary F1 designer is part of Chairman Lawrence Stroll’s plan to turn Aston Martin into a championship-winning outfit.
Part of that plan hinges on nailing the next set of regulations, which, among introducing active aerodynamics will see the power unit regulations alter.
The 1.6 litre turbocharged V6 internal combustion engines (ICE) – first introduced in 2014 – will be retained but there will be no MGU-H, the introduction of sustainable fuels and a greater reliance on the electrical components of the updated hybrid powertrains.
2026’s F1 regulations have seen changes made to the aerodynamic make-up of the cars to compensate for energy conversation and an approximate 50/50 power split between ICE and electric propulsion.
Speaking to Auto Motor und Sport, Newey said: ”The reality is I can’t remember another time in Formula 1 when both the chassis regulations and the regulations have changed simultaneously.
“And in this case the chassis regulations have been very much written to try to compensate, let’s say, for the power unit regulations,” he continued.
“So, it’s an extra dimension. I think engine manufacturers will have learnt to an extent on the lack of preparation that the rivals to Mercedes did prior to that change [for 2014] but there has to be a chance that one manufacturer will come out well on top and it’ll become a power unit-dominated regulation, at least to start with.”
One team could dominate for years – Newey
Newey went on to say that not only could 2026 introduce an engine-dominated formula, but one team could be poised to dominate for the entire rules cycle.
That’s if a head-start is made on the ICE component of the hybrid power unit.
“There’s a chance, if it’s on the combustion engine side of it that somebody comes up with a dominant combustion engine, that will last through the length of the formula,” Newey said.
“Because the way the regulations are written, it’s quite difficult for people who are behind to catch up.
“If it’s on the electrical side, then there’s much more ability to catch up if you’re behind.”
Aston Martin choose Honda, Mercedes confident for 2026
Newey will reunite with his former Red Bull colleagues at Honda in 2026, with Aston Martin signing a works engine deal with the Japanese brand.
After a shaky start with McLaren in 2015, Honda went on to achieve great things with Red Bull and its hybrid power units have contributed to all four of Max Verstappen’s Drivers’ titles.
Still, Mercedes remains the alleged class of the hybrid field and the Aston Martin/Honda partnership will need to thwart the Silver Arrows if Sky’s Ted Kravitz is to be believed.
“As Toto Wolff and James Allison say out of Brixworth, the noise is that they’re feeling the same kind of gains that they had when they swept the board under a new power unit regulation in 2014 as they will for 2026,” Kravitz told the Sky F1 podcast.
That dominance prompted Newey to divert his full attention away from Red Bull’s F1 pursuits and look to other projects and he’ll be hoping to avoid a repeat.
READ MORE – Aston Martin told F1 success will ‘take more than Adrian Newey’
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