Five engines manufacturers, Mercedes with the most customers - all-new engine rules in 2026

With the possible exit of Renault from the sport, Formula One is set to lose an engine manufacturer, but gain a new one with Audi as new technical regulations come into effect in 2026. F1Technical's lead journalist Balazs Szabo reflects on the situation revolving around the future engine suppliers.

Ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix, the FIA and Formula One released the technical regulations that will define the sport from 2026 onwards.

One of the key changes is that the new cars will be 30kg lighter than current generation F1 cars which should improve efficiency and handling.

Power units will also go through a significant overhaul as the much-debated MGU-H will be ditched and the ratio between the internal combustion engine and the electrical energy will be even.

The maximum deployment of electrical energy via the MGU-K (motor generator unit - kinetic) will go from 120 kilowatts (160 hp) under the current regs to a whopping 350 kw (475 hp) -- the same power output as the motor in a Formula E car.

The complete overhaul of the power unit has prompted the sport to introduce active aerodynamics to suit the energy management requirements of new power units. The new cars will run on 100% sustainable fuel.

Five engine manufacturers
A total of five engine manufacturer appear to embark on the new set of power unit regulations – Ferrari, Honda, Mercedes, Red Bull Powertrains and Audi.

The Italian manufacturer will supply Haas alongside its works outfit after the two companies reached a contract extension in July.

The 2026 F1 season will see Red Bull as an engine manufacturer after the Milton Keynes-headquartered team had established its own engine department that is referred to as Red Bull Powertrains. Team boss Christian Horner recently revealed that Red Bull has been approached by “various parties” over a possible engine deal, but he confirmed that his team wants to focus initially on its own team and the Visa Cash RB outfit.

Honda will leave Red Bull at the end of 2025, but it will join forced with the Aston Martin as the sports embarks on the new engine rules.
Audi will take over the Sauber outfit from 2026, joining the pinnacle of motorsport with a works team. The German manufacturer will produce its chassis at the Swiss Hinwil base and its power unit in Neuburg.

Audi’s CEO Gernot Döllner has recently announced key changes to the management of the German marque’s F1 outfit, with former Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto becoming Chief Operating and Chief Technical Officer and former Red Bull Sporting Director joining the project as team boss.

Mercedes will supply its own works team and two other British outfits – McLaren and Williams. Its long-standing partnership with Aston Martin will end at the end of next year as the Silverstone-based squad will switch to Honder power units.

There is only one question mark regarding the power units for the new era. Alpine was going to receive the products of Renault which owns the F1 outfit, but recent weeks have indicated that the French manufacturer will back off from its engine project despite the heavy investment into the 2026 power units.

The decision would see Alpine become a customer team with Mercedes rumoured to emerge as engine supplier which would meant that the Brixworth-based facility would supply four teams with its products.

Expanding on the process that led to the new power unit regulation, FIA's Head of Powertrain Vincent Pereme picked out the governing body held talks with the engine manufacturers on a regular basis to establish the main goals for the future.

"The starting point was in 2021 when we had meetings with the CEO of all five main engine manufacturers which were Renault, Ferrari, Mercedes joined by Audi and Ford.

"The goal of those discussions was to decide all together what would be the main goal of those new regulations. The outcome of those never ending discussions were three points.

"They wanted to have a cost which was controlled and reduced drastically compared to what they were spending today. That was the point number one.

"They wanted to have sustainability as the main topic for those new regulations, and they also wanted to have the ERS, the electrical engine being the focus of the development.