FIA confirm future F1 engine penalty rules after 2026 change

The FIA has confirmed to RacingNews365 that the F1 engine penalty rules are to remain unchanged for the coming seasons, after being relaxed for 2026.

Ahead of the complex new engine regulations, Article B8.2.2 of the sporting regulations was suffixed with Article B8.2.3 which states that one extra example of each power unit component would be made available to each driver for use during the 2026 season. 

This covers the Internal Combustion Engine (ICE), turbocharger, MGU-K, energy store, PU-CE (Power Unit-Control Electronics) and PU-ANC (Power Unit-Auxiliary Components). 

Initially, drivers were allocated three examples of the ICE, the turbocharger, and two each of the MGU-Ks, energy stores, PU-CEs. 

The number of PU-ANCs available was five.

Following the addition of B8.2.3, drivers were allowed four ICEs, turbochargers, and three of the remaining components, plus six PU-ANCs. 

Drivers are allowed four exhaust systems for the season. 

For 2027, the allocation was set to revert back to the standard allocation, but the FIA has confirmed to RacingNews365 that the extra component allocation will remain for both 2027 and 2028. 

In 2027 and 2028, the power units will change slightly as F1 moves away from the 50:50 split in terms of power output from the ICE and batteries, and to a more 60:40 ratio in favour of the ICE. 

As these decisions came quite late in the year, in May, RacingNews365 understands that the development window was shortened, leading to a potential risk of increased reliability issues on track, thus placing undue pressure on the power unit manufacturers if the penalty-free allocation was to drop back to one fewer example per component. 

With this in mind, an FIA spokesperson confirmed that the engine components available penalty-free will remain the same in 2027 and 2028 as in 2026.

If a driver does exceed their allocation, they receive a 10-place grid penalty per component, with a further five places issued for any subsequent component taken beyond this.

Check out the overview of the number of engine components allowed below!