The new Formula 1 regulations have been under the microscope after the FIA provided more details on the next era of the sport.
Previously, teams had been given a framework to start designing their power units, but other aspects have now been shared with the new ruleset needing to be ratified by the end of June 2024.
READ MORE: Everything we know about F1’s 2026 new regulations
Peter Windsor was speaking to F1 technology expert Craig Scarborough on his YouTube channel as they were discussing the latest information provided about the new cars.
One of the criticisms of Formula 1 is that they tend to change the rules as soon as the top teams have all converged and the racing has improved.
Fans have been subjected to years of Red Bull dominance but just as Ferrari, McLaren and even Mercedes have closed the gap, teams are already preparing for another change in the status quo.
Talking about the new power units, Windsor has admitted that one decision made by the sport is ‘absolutely insane’.
While some aspects of the proposed cars will change between now and the start of 2026, it’s unlikely that the FIA will budge on this.
Peter Windsor shares what’s ‘absolutely insane’ about F1’s 2026 power units
There are plenty of engine suppliers already getting ready for the next set of regulations and their reputations are playing a part in the driver market too.
Mercedes have long established themselves as one of the best power unit suppliers and Alex Albon even cited them as one of his reasons for signing a new deal with Williams.
Aside from the Mercedes works team and Williams, they’ll also continue their partnership with McLaren.
Red Bull will end their partnership with Honda – who will become the supplier for Aston Martin – to begin work as Red Bull Powertrains alongside Ford.
Martin Brundle has previously shared his experience when visiting their facility.
Ferrari will continue to work on their own engines and will be Haas’s supplier as their close partnership progresses.
However, reports via Motorsport.com suggest that Renault may no longer want to continue to build their own engine leaving Alpine’s power unit future in doubt with David Croft hearing that production of the 2026 isn’t going swimmingly.
The final power unit supplier in 2026 will be Audi which is where Peter Windsor’s ‘absolutely insane’ suggestion comes from.
He believes one change has been made purely to hamper the new team despite F1 wanting more power unit suppliers in the sport.
Audi could be penalised by new 2026 F1 engine rule
Talking about the new power unit rules, Scarborough was talking about the changes made to the regulations to stop the front MGU-K from recovering energy as it might give new suppliers an advantage, such as Audi and Porsche.
Both manufacturers work in WEC where this technology exists and Windsor said: “It’s also nonsense under the heading of the FIA and Liberty [Media] constantly beating the drum and saying we want more manufacturers to come into the sport.
“The minute they come in they say, ‘Oh, you can’t do this, you can’t do that because you might have an advantage because you’ve been racing sports cars’, it’s absolutely insane!”
Scarborough went on to say that it was a ‘big opportunity missed’ by F1 to make the transition for potential new power unit suppliers into the sport easier.
It’s easy to see why the current teams on the grid would want to stop the likes of Audi from harnessing technology they’ve already perfected elsewhere in motorsport.
F1 has a habit of trying to maintain the status quo and if they can put a huge manufacturer like Audi on the back foot then that benefits them.
Given the current struggles of Sauber, Audi might have a few other problems to solve first before worrying about whether they’re being targeted by the new regulations.
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