Prior to Friday’s announcement that an agreement has been made for Formula 1‘s power unit regulations to shift towards further combustion power in 2027, two team bosses took umbrage with the narrative that many drivers hold negative views about the new and current iteration.
The first three rounds of the championship saw the sport awash with complaints about the new ruleset, which saw a near 50-50 split between combustion and electric power in the V6 hybrid engines.
With energy harvesting a necessity lap-by-lap, a number of drivers have spoken of their dislike for the counterintiutive nature of the driving style the regulations require.
On top of this, the Oliver Bearman-Franco Colapinto crash at Suzuka also raised a question of safety, due to the speed difference between the full-throttle Haas and the harvesting Alpine.
The Miami Grand Prix saw the introduction of “refinements” to the regulations to mitigate many of the key areas of concern, and on Friday, the FIA announced that teams, PUMs and the sport itself agreed to “evolutionary changes” which will see combustion power increased next season.
But in the team representatives’ press conference before last weekend’s race, Audi F1 project chief Mattia Binotto, when asked by Motorsport Week if the refinements were merely like ‘rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic,’ were categorical in their disagreement.
“As in not driving flat out, it’s not a good reason,” Binotto said. “I think in the past, when we had to do a lot of fuel saving, they were not driving flat out as well.
“So again, I can only say what our drivers are saying, they are very positive with the regulations. They are enjoying the car, I think, and I’m not sure that all the drivers are not enjoying it.
“And again, so I think the regulations are different to the past, yes. Drivers need to adapt, yes. A different driving style is required, yes. But it is still F1. It’s still a challenge. It’s still a race and fighting on track, so fighting for the fastest lap in quali, in the race, and at the end there is a winner, a loser, and I think that’s why it’s our sport.
“So overall, I do not agree with what you just said.”
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Despite Charles Leclerc having been one of the more outspoken drivers in his displeasure with the new regulations and cars, Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur sided with his predecessor’s viewpoint.
“I think I’m aligned with Mattia that we always have the same situation. You have drivers more vocal than some others.
“I think a couple of guys, they were mega vocal in 2022 about the regulation and some much less, and it was like this every single new regulation.
“And it’s the DNA of the drivers. They want to fight, they want to be on the top, and for sure that [George] Russell or [Kimi] Antonelli are a bit less vocal than some other guys at the back.”
Despite their opposition to the notion that the regulations have not been quite as unpopular as many feel they are, it is noteworthy that, four races into the new era, 2027 is already proving to appear to be a literal step towards FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem’s aim to return V8 engines to F1 by 2031.
READ MORE – Ferrari issued grim outlook after F1 upgrade letdown in Miami
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