F1 is 'a complete mess' claims top insider, this is his radical plan to end the 'nonsense'

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F1 is 'a complete mess' claims top insider, this is his radical plan to end the 'nonsense'

F1 and the FIA have teased some major engine changes that the paddock are divided over

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Wednesday 17 June 2026 21:57

Formula 1 and its governing body the FIA have been tying themselves in knots since the introduction of the 2026 regulations.

Ahead of this year's championship, new rules were introduced regarding the chassis and power units of the championship machinery, completely overhauling the main characteristics of the previous regulations cycle.

The electrical energy output from the PU was tripled and the power split moved more towards a 50/50 divide.

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But despite the 2026 campaign being less than halfway done, plans are already underway for that to change once again.

Following this year's Monaco Grand Prix, it was announced that F1, the FIA, the teams and the PU manufacturers had reached an agreement regarding further engine regulation changes.

The plan is now for the sport to move away from the 2026 engine split for 2027 with a goal of reaching 60/40 by the time the 2028 campaign rolls around.

This has unsurprisingly triggered a conversation around whether brand's such as Audi will be committing to the changes considering the near 50/50 hybrid was a major factor in why they entered the sport.

On top of this, there is now a race to the bottom as it were as the PU providers are now all fighting to prove they have the worst engine of the new regulations era in order to be granted ADUO from the FIA.

Essentially, it is a very confusing and tricky time in the sport where engines are concerned and FOM, F1 president Stefano Domenicali and the FIA are now all facing criticism as a result.

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F1 insider slams engine regulations chaos

In a YouTube livestream which aired ahead of last weekend's Barcelona GP, F1 insider Peter Windsor laid out his disagreements with the FIA and F1's current engine roadmap, saying that even a 60/40 split, which is what the sport is gradually moving to over the next two seasons, isn't enough.

"Audi currently not wanting to go away really from where we are 50/50, most of the teams wanting to go at least to 60/40 next year which is not enough in my opinion, but nonetheless, even that's going to be quite difficult if they listen to teams like Audi," he began.

"Ferrari are kind of going that way as well because, well I don't know why really, I think they just think, ‘we're doing quite well right now thank you with our two upgrades’ probably. So, it's a mess."

The former team manager then pointed to the introduction of F1's cost cap as the catalyst for the 'complete mess' the 2026 regulations U-turn is causing, adding: "Why is it all a mess? Because we have the cost cap in the first place.

"As I said at the time, the whole thing about the cost cap is a complete and utter nonsense and it would be much better for Formula 1 if we had no restrictions. And all of a sudden, Mercedes, Ferrari, Audi, and whoever, Honda were all going to start developing their engines to try to do the best job possible to beat one another. And if they want to spend X, let them spend X. If they want to spend Y, spend Y, and get on with it.

"Everything has some way of settling down from supply and demand and this is the reason you've got all this drama, because on the speed limits, we got too many rules and regulations. And indeed, when it comes to engine upgrades, it's all caused by the whole business of cost-cutting, which is nonsense. The amounts of money involved is so ridiculously large anyway."

Windsor: 'Stop faffing around and standardise F1'

Windsor's critique of the sport's engine crisis didn't come without the mention of what he believes could be a sensible solution however (albeit not a very popular one).

"They'd be much better off, not many people would enjoy this, but they'd be much better off saying, ‘Right, you've got a choice of two engines, Ferrari or Mercedes, and that's it. That's the new Formula 1,’" he said.

"You’ve got to have Ferrari in there because they want to do their own engine. They always will, and they always have. But if it was that, we wouldn't be having these discussions.

"It was a bit like that really in the old days when we had great Formula 1. It was either Cosworth or you drove for Ferrari. I mean, okay, there was Alfa and Matra, but basically it was Cosworth against the others, and that's what we need to have now really.

Windsor then concluded his self-confessed 'rant', adding: "Standardise it all. Stop faffing around with all these ridiculous recommendations. Everybody trying to be nice to one another…trying to be nice to Audi, but at the same time, we want a sport. And look where it is. It's a complete mess now as a result."

Written by

Kerry Violet - F1 News Editor

Having graduated from the University of Sheffield with a 2:1 in Journalism in 2022, Kerry continued her pursuit of finding a full-time position in motorsport through work with the F1 Arcade in London, where she got to meet true fans of the sport and make a live grand prix watch party memorable for them. It was here that she confirmed her dream of combining her background in journalism and love of motorsport, going on to volunteer with the female-led platform Empoword Journalism. Having completed stints as a screen editor and sports editor, Kerry landed her first F1-specific editorial role with GPFans and has thoroughly enjoyed continuing to work closely with the sport ever since. The access GPFans offers Kerry has allowed her to interview big names such as Naomi Schiff and David Coulthard and given her experiences she could only have dreamt of as a young F1 fan.

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F1 FIA 2026 regulations Peter Windsor