Formula One officials are confident the sport is past its previous boom and bust cycles and new manufacturers are coming to stay
The new engine rules from 2026 have helped two German carmakers, Audi and Porsche, plan their Formula One entry. Audi made it official at the Belgian Grand Prix last weekend.
This means that from 2026 there will be at least five car manufacturers in the premier class: Mercedes, Ferrari, Renault, Audi and Porsche. Honda has also not yet completely ruled out the possibility of continuing after the end of its current technical partnership with Red Bull.
The history of Formula One and other top-level international racing series has shown that it is difficult for the categories to keep such a number of manufacturers in the long run, as not all of them can win and the losers often give up.
F1 technically and economically attractive
Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali and FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem, however, are confident of keeping all manufacturers on board for the long term. They have faith in the way the engine rules have been formulated and in the financial solidity of the sport in times of cost-capping.
To be sure, Domenicali admits: “In the history of Formula One, we have seen teams come and go, manufacturers come and go. But the beauty of the decision we have made together is that we are totally convinced that technically it is the right one. “
“It will allow, from a technological point of view, from a sustainability point of view and from an economic point of view, to have and keep the teams and manufacturers on board – and add even more to the equation,” the Formula One CEO is convinced.
“If you look at the life of the cycles, I think we are on the positive side at the moment. It’s going to take a very long time, I hope as late as possible, for us to be on the other side. But it’s all good now, a great trend. “
Old and new manufacturers considered
FIA President Ben Sulayem adds that the push to improve the rules for both current manufacturers and new entrants has been crucial.
“I am confident that there will be sustainability for the manufacturers,” he says, “because we have invested a lot. The negotiations were about hours on the test bench, cost recovery, just everything. So we made sure that both sides – existing and new producers – have a chance.”
“We worked this out with all the stakeholders here. So I am confident that they will stay here. This is not just a temporary thing,” the FIA man said.
On the other hand, there would have been no chance of bringing car manufacturers like Audi and Porsche on board if the rules hadn’t been changed, he further reveals: “If we hadn’t changed anything, we wouldn’t have given new teams the opportunity to come.”
“There’s no way a big manufacturer would come in as an engine supplier if they didn’t have a real chance. After all, nobody wants to embarrass themselves. There were many ups and downs in the negotiations. We have always communicated with Audi, the teams and Stefano and the results have been very fruitful. “
