Formula 1 has agreed in principle to move away from the unpopular 50-50 split between conventional combustion power and electrical elements from 2027 onwards.
F1 bosses agreed on Friday with the teams to move more towards a 60-40 split in favour of the internal combustion engine (ICE) by making hardware tweaks to the engines.
The mooted changes are aimed at addressing driver concerns about the amount of lifting-and-coasting the new engines have required to fill the battery.
Drivers have been outspoken about that new focus on battery power.
Max Verstappen has likened F1's new cars to Mario Kart and said the new style of battery-boosted passing is "anti-racing." Fernando Alonso has rechristened Formula 1 as the "battery world championship."
Reigning world champion Lando Norris said during the Miami Grand Prix that he still did not believe any driver could enjoy the current cars -- even though small tweaks had been made ahead of that race to improve the qualifying spectacle.
The proposed 2027 change will not remove the battery element entirely, but F1 hopes it will lessen some of the more unpopular elements while still staying true to the aim of making the sport road-relevant by increasing the focus on electrical power in the first place.
While major changes cannot be made this year due to the existing designs of engines, Friday's agreement signalled a willingness to address the concerns that have dogged the new F1 era so far.
An FIA statement on Friday said: "Turning to the longer-term measures, there was unanimous commitment to introduce changes which further enhanced fair and safe competition, that were intuitive for drivers and teams and were in the best interests of the sport."
It added: "It was agreed that further detailed discussion in technical groups comprising teams and Power Unit Manufacturers was required before the final package was decided."
- Mercedes' Toto Wolff calls on F1 critics to 'hide' after 'great' Miami GP
- F1's 2026 rule tweaks: What's changed after driver criticism, and will it make a difference?
- Juan Pablo Montoya calls for driver penalties amid Max Verstappen's F1 criticism
Manufacturers will likely need to consider the ramifications of making the change -- any accommodating change to fuel-flow limits might well need a rethink about existing designs.
The new package of rules will need to be ratified by the World Motorsport Council later in the year.
While F1 had moved to a nearly 50-50 split this year, the previous set of V-6 turbo engines had been closer to 80-20 in terms of how the importance of the two elements was weighted.



