Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has hinted that the next rule cycle, coming in 2026, could be longer than five years to encourage greater convergence in the pecking order.
2024 is the third year of the current rule cycle whereby ground effect aerodynamics has taken centre stage.
The first two seasons were dominated by Red Bull and with the Milton Keynes-based F1 outfit winning all but one of the Grands Prix held in 2023, many feared convergence in this rule cycle would never come.
However, 2024 has proven that with more years under a consistent set of regulations, with cost cap and aerodynamic testing restrictions, the filed can bunch up and after 14 rounds there have been seven different winners across four teams.
“I’m very pleased to say what I said at the beginning of the year is exactly what is happening, when everyone was believing that I was saying that for political reasons,” Domenicali told Motorsport.com.
“This will for sure continue until the end of 2025. This element of sporting action, and sporting drama, is definitely there.”
With the pendulum swinging between the likes of Red Bull, McLaren and Mercedes from circuit to circuit, fans are eagerly anticipating a multi-team title fight next year.
But equally, there are fears the regulations in 2026, which will see new power unit changes, shorter, narrower cars and adaptive aerodynamics, will blow the pecking order wide open again.
With the current rule cycle lasting just four years and the next potentially lasting just five, Domenicali is considering whether the latter ought to be extended to ensure F1 has a longer period of close racing.
The Italian pondered whether: “This is a point of: is really now the time to do in 2030 another step change?
“We are not in a position to answer today, because we need to wait and see how this new technology will come in and how this will be developed.
“Therefore, there will be a point at which we need to discuss about it, and we need to understand if the need of the manufacturers, the need of teams and the need of the engineering, is definitely there as it was when there was the need to change the regulation.
“The need for change normally is put on the table for two reasons. One is because we are the pinnacle of motorsport, and we are endorsing the top level of technology.
“The second in the past was that, because it was pretty clear: the objective was stopping a dominance period of cars.
“But now with the new elements of regulation, budget cap and aerodynamics restriction, I think that this point is not anymore on the table of discussion.
“So the real thing is technological challenge in the future. Is it relevant that the change will be in such a short time cycle of five years? That will be the point of discussion for the future.”
Discussion about this post