Andrea Stella calls on F1 stakeholders not to “undermine” 2026 regulations
The push for V10 engines is losing steam.
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has asked Formula 1 stakeholders not to “undermine” the 2026 regulations as they have the potential to be “successful”.
All teams had jointly agreed to overhaul the chassis and power unit rules from next year, but there has been growing unease over the impact of the slated 50:50 split between internal combustion engine and electrical power on car performance.
The mooted return of V10 engines running on sustainable fuel led to further calls to either reduce the length of the next rules cycle or scrap new hybrid power units introduction entirely.
The matter reached its head in Bahrain last week, as all current engine manufacturers - plus Cadillac - held a crunch meeting with the FIA to decide the direction for next year.
New Formula 1 regulations coming in 2026
Ultimately, it was agreed that the 2026 regulations overhaul will go ahead as planned, but all parties will work together on a convergence process to avoid a repeat of Mercedes’ domination in 2014.
In light of the meeting, Stella called on everyone in F1 to work together to make the 2026 rules a success instead of diverting attention to non-hybrid V10 engines.
“When we talk about future regulations – we haven’t even started 2026, and we are already talking about something else,” said Stella, whose McLaren team will continue to receive customer power units from Mercedes next year.
“I would like to invoke a sense of responsibility by all the stakeholders because we are here to protect the interests of the sport. I wouldn’t want us to undermine what could be actually successful regulations.
“They may need some tuning and adjustments – but that’s what we are here for. Let’s define exactly the technical challenge and resolve it.
“Let’s all work collaboratively toward the interest of the sport, which comes when we have a good product. I think we can have a good product in 2026. We just have to work toward it.”
2026 rules good for racing
Stella’s sentiments were echoed by Williams team principal James Vowles, whose squad is also a customer of Mercedes power units.
Vowels said he has seen no “stark concerns” about 2026 engines and is confident that the new regulations will have a positive impact on the spectacle.
“It's early days because we’re still developing the car and the winter regs have only been in for a few months now,” he said.
“But I’m not seeing the stark concerns that are coming out of other corners.
"For us, the racing looks actually pretty good at the moment. I think it’ll be pretty good from a spectator perspective. The wake is better, following [cars] will be better – so I’m not overly concerned.
“The biggest thing [worry] I probably have is the weight target. It's a good idea to reduce the weight, but that’s a tough call for all teams. That’s the only thing coming out of our side.”
Audi's stance on F1 rules
It was the 2026 ruleset that lured Audi into F1, with the famous German manufacturer having never previously competed in the world championship in its 75-year history.
Having invested a considerable amount of resources in building its new power unit project and taking over full ownership of Sauber, it openly voiced its opposition against scrapping 2026 rules.
New team principal Jonathan Wheatley, who joined Sauber this year after previously working at Red Bull, was satisfied with the outcome of the key FIA meeting with power unit manufacturers.
“There was a very open and productive and collaborative discussion with all the major stakeholders,” he said.
“From what I understand, it’s got the best interests of Formula 1 at heart. That was the basis of the entire conversation, and the feedback I’ve had was very encouraging.
“What I would say just talking about 2026 is that Audi is very clear about its position. The reason they’ve got involved in the sport is the excitement around the three pillars that we see as really important – the first one being a highly efficient engine, the second one being an advanced hybrid system, and of course, sustainable fuels being the bedrock of that.”
