F1 hybrid era declared a ‘mistake’ as Martin Brundle issues engine warning

Martin Brundle can see a scenario where Formula 1 ditches the hybrid power units, a “mistake” to begin with, but warns “we can’t just put our head in the sand.”

2013 was the final season of naturally-aspirated engines in Formula 1, as the V8s made way for V6 turbo-hybrid power units from 2014. The regulations will change again come F1 2026, but that will see the reliance on electrical power increase, creating a 50:50 split with an internal combustion engine running on fully-sustainable biofuels.

Martin Brundle warns F1 ‘must stay relevant’ despite hybrid ‘mistake’

But, should the use of biofuel prove successful as F1 continues its quest to become carbon neutral, that poses the question of whether F1 would be better off going back to the naturally-aspirated engines, running them on biofuel.

And, as this idea was put to Sky F1 pundit Brundle during a Reddit AMA session, he did not shut down the idea, but warned that F1 cannot “become dinosaurs” in its time.

“So it’s not out of the question,” said Brundle.

“I don’t like the hybrid engines, if I’m honest, because they’re big and heavy. And of course, we like purity in racing. It’s all about minimum weight.

“Formula 1 must stay relevant. It must be cutting edge, appeal to the manufacturers and the sponsors. It’s a really fine line to tread because when everything’s said and done, we’re about entertainment and we’ve got to entertain people. Otherwise they won’t watch. If they don’t watch, we won’t have sponsors, we won’t have engine manufacturers and the whole thing falls over.

“So we have to be entertaining. And I think the sound of the engine is an important part of that. But at the same time, we need people to turn up with the actual racing cars. A key element, a cornerstone of Formula 1 is that you must make your own chassis in each team and fundamental parts of that which is good, so it’s not a single make formula.

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“I think it will never go fully electric – it can’t. We’re going 50:50 electric in 2026. We’ll see how that goes. I think the hybrids have been a mistake in Formula 1 because the cars got too big, too heavy, as I said.

“But let’s see. We can’t just put our head in the sand and go and become dinosaurs and just race. Where does that go back to? Should we go back to steam? You’ve got to keep it sensible and be relevant.”

Alongside the new engines, revamped chassis regulations will also come into effect from F1 2026 in a major shake-up for the series.

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