Formula 1's push to reshape its engine regulations for 2027 has hit fresh resistance, with the latest F1 Commission meeting closing without the breakthrough that drivers and several teams had been hoping for.
The Commission convened on Tuesday, 2 June, to advance proposals that would shift the balance of the current power units away from their heavy reliance on electrical deployment. An agreement in principle to move towards a 60/40 split between the internal combustion engine and the battery had been trumpeted ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix, but turning that headline into binding regulation has proved far more politically complex.
According to the outcome of the meeting, the manufacturers remain divided over the technical detail. The specifics — including fuel flow changes and the precise mechanics of the new balance — continue to split the six power unit suppliers, and any change of this magnitude requires a supermajority of four of those six to pass. That threshold has so far not been reached.
The fault lines are familiar. Ferrari are understood to be pressing ahead with their own development direction, while newer entrants Audi and Honda have voiced concern about the additional investment that a mid-cycle overhaul would demand. With manufacturers having committed enormous sums to the 2026 rules on the understanding that they would remain stable, persuading everyone to reopen the package has proven a hard sell.
The drivers, by contrast, have been far more united. Max Verstappen has been among the most vocal supporters of a change, arguing repeatedly that reducing the cars' dependence on battery energy would improve the racing. Several of his peers share that view. But the Commission's structure means driver enthusiasm counts for little without manufacturer consensus, and that consensus is not yet there.
It was not a meeting entirely without outcomes. The Commission signed off on extending pre-season winter testing from three days to four for the 2027 campaign, with Bahrain the likely venue. The expansion is a modest step back towards normality after 2026's unusually long six-day programme, which was granted as a one-off to help teams adapt to this season's sweeping regulatory reset.
Delegates also approved a series of smaller measures, including minor aerodynamic and bodywork amendments and new restrictions on the running of previous-generation cars. The tightened Testing of Previous Cars rules are designed to stop teams from using such sessions at circuits hosting upcoming Grands Prix as a means of gathering competitive intelligence, rather than for their stated purpose of driver preparation.
For now, though, the headline item remains unresolved. The 2027 engine question will roll on to the next round of talks, with manufacturers, the FIA and Formula One Management all under pressure to find a compromise before the window to legislate for that season closes. The drivers have made their preference clear. Whether the people who build the engines can be brought into line remains the central political battle of the 2026 campaign.
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*Originally published on [News Formula One](https://newsformula.one/article/f1-commission-2027-engine-rules-deadlock). Visit for full coverage.*