Adrian Newey fears that an engine manufacturer could dominate Formula 1 again from 2026 – Where he sees the greatest danger in the new regulations
Is Formula 1 again threatened by the dominance of a single engine manufacturer? Adrian Newey, who left Red Bull in 2024 and will work for Aston Martin from 2025, can at least imagine that from 2026 it will come down to exactly that.
He told auto motor und sport that there is “a good chance” that with the new Formula 1 regulations from 2026, the engine will determine whether a team can win races and, above all, the championship or not.
Statements like this bring back memories of the early years of the Formula 1 hybrid era from 2014. At that time, the Mercedes works team dominated, especially in the first few seasons with the then completely new engines, and even won the Constructors’ World Championship eight times in a row by 2021.
In 2026, new engine regulations will come into force, and according to Newey, there could be a manufacturer that outpaces all the others again. Because according to the 66-year-old, who has been working in motorsport for more than four decades, there has never been a situation like 2026.
Newey sees “an additional dimension” in 2026
Newey explains: “I can’t recall another time in Formula One where both the chassis and engine regulations have been changed at the same time, and in this case the chassis regulations have been written to compensate for the power unit regulations.”
“So that’s an additional dimension,” said Newey, who therefore believes that ‘at least at the beginning’ an engine manufacturer could dominate Formula 1. In his opinion, this would be a particular problem if a manufacturer were to do a better job on the combustion engine.
“If it’s on the electrical side, then there are many more opportunities to catch up if you are behind,” he explains. On the other hand, if you are at a disadvantage with the classic combustion engine, then the possibilities are very limited.”
Not everyone shares Newey’s concerns
In the worst case, a manufacturer could then even dominate until the end of the regulatory cycle, “because the way the regulations are written, it is quite difficult for those who are lagging behind to catch up,” fears Newey.
Incidentally, not everyone in the paddock shares his opinion. Williams team principal James Vowles, for example, explained in the Beyond The Grid podcast a few months ago that there would certainly be “differences between the power units” of the individual manufacturers in 2026.
“I just don’t think it will be at the level of 2014, where there was such a wide gap between the field,” said Vowles.
