Christian Horner said the FIA had tabled a proposal to change battery regulations ahead of sweeping rule adaptions for 2026.

Next season will see a major shake-up in the build of Formula 1 cars with battery power playing an increased role.

Christian Horner reveals FIA proposal as engine discussions continue

Extensive details of the 2026 regulation changes were unveiled last June but as the days tick down until the new season gets underway, there has been a lot of late politicking from various parties over the new laws.

An extraordinary meeting between senior F1 and FIA figures was held in Bahrain following a Mohammed Ben Sulayem-led proposal to re-introduce V10s but the president’s idea was rejected as manufacturers insisted the sport stuck with the rules they had already confirmed.

But if that appeared to be the end of it, the matter was again put on the table, this time in front of the F1 commission and Horner has revealed at exactly what the FIA was proposing.

“No one is going to go into too much detail about the commission itself, but there’s a couple of things going on,” he told Sky Sports.

“There’s a discussion about what should the engine for the future of Formula 1 be? But that’s two, three, four years away. And then there’s a question of tidying up the current regulations.

“I think they [the FIA] finally had a good look at these regs, and they’re seeing that next year there could be a huge amount of lift and coasting during the course of a grand prix and that’s going to drive the drivers mad.

“The cars are going to have DRS open at all times, so there’s not going to be the overtaking effect that you would see.

“And so they tabled a proposal where we leave all the technical specifications the same, but we would just reduce the battery energy in the race so that you effectively have a push to pass.

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“I think it has merit. I think in the bigger picture of Formula 1, I think it’s definitely worth consideration.

“It doesn’t change the spec. It doesn’t change the maximum power of these engines. It’s just when the deployment is.”

The FIA’s late consideration to change engine rules will have no doubt concerned the likes of Audi, General Motors and Ford who all entered the sport following confirmation that F1 engines would be cheaper to build. The removal of the Motor Generator Unit – Heat (MGU-H) was thought to be a key aspect for other engine manufacturers joining Ferrari, Red Bull and Mercedes on the F1 grid.

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