Nikolas Tombazis from the FIA has clarified that strategic power unit changes will become unfeasible once the new financial regulations take effect in 2026. These rules will apply to both teams and powertrain manufacturers, creating financial pressure that makes frequent engine changes too costly to justify. At present, teams can introduce a fresh unit when they qualify poorly or receive a grid drop, which can provide a performance advantage during the race.
The debate intensified after the Sao Paulo Grand Prix. Red Bull replaced Max Verstappen’s power unit once he was eliminated in Q1. Since he was already starting from the back, the team calculated that a fresh engine provided an advantage with no further sporting cost. McLaren challenged the move and argued that non-damaged power unit replacements should fall under the cost cap. Their position was based on unpublished FIA guidance that suggests such expenses belong inside the financial limits, even though the sporting regulations do not explicitly say so.
Red Bull’s Paul Monahan defended the team’s decision. He pointed out that several teams have used similar strategies across the 2022 to 2024 seasons. He also stated that in a reversed situation, any competitor would likely act in the same way. His comment reflected a broader acknowledgment that the current rule set leaves room for interpretation. Tombazis agreed that policing whether an engine change is strategic or based on reliability is difficult because the FIA cannot accurately judge internal failures through limited telemetry.
This inability to determine intent has exposed a gap in the rulebook. Without a power unit cost cap applied to current engines, teams face little downside when introducing new units for tactical reasons. Tombazis described this as a structural weakness, since disputes over reliability claims distract officials and create unnecessary friction between teams and regulators.
The situation will shift significantly in 2026. The cost cap will extend fully to power unit supply, not only development. From that point onward, every additional unit will count toward a manufacturer’s financial limit. Tombazis expects this to act as a strong deterrent. The internal combustion engine alone carries an estimated cost of one million dollars, and other components such as the turbocharger, MGU-K, control electronics and energy store have fixed values that will be deducted from a manufacturer’s financial allowance once production exceeds the permitted supply threshold.
These changes will make it counterproductive for manufacturers to support strategic replacements. Producing extra units will place direct strain on their allotted budgets, which in turn limits development resources in other areas. Under this framework, a team will only change a unit when there is a clear reliability requirement, because the financial impact of additional production will outweigh any competitive benefit.
Tombazis stated that the regulatory weakness will effectively disappear once the financial rules come into force. While some within the sport may feel nostalgic about the strategic engine change era, the governing body views the shift as necessary for competitive balance. The 2026 framework is designed to standardise behaviour across teams and reduce disputes between competitors over intent and interpretation.
