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The FIA has formally approved a wide-ranging package of sporting, technical, and financial regulation changes for the FIA Formula One World Championship, continuing the governing body's refinement of the next regulatory cycle.
Endorsed by the World Motor Sport Council, the updates underline Formula 1's attempt to balance innovation, sustainability, performance, and safety as the new generation of machinery develops. The decision follows earlier regulatory movement around the 2026 framework, with the latest step building on the direction outlined when the FIA approved 2026 F1 regulation tweaks and the first issue of the 2027 rules.
For 2027, pre-season testing will expand from three to four days. The change removes the need for teams to split at least one day between both race drivers, a compromise that often restricted meaningful mileage and complicated run plans.
Teams may still alternate drivers between morning and afternoon sessions, but the revised format allows a cleaner two-day allocation per driver. In practical terms, that should improve preparation, development consistency, and operational clarity before the season begins.
The FIA has also refined its extreme heat procedure. A "Heat Hazard" can now be declared separately for the Sprint and the Grand Prix, provided race control communicates the decision at least 24 hours before the scheduled start. That gives organisers more flexibility when conditions vary across a race weekend.
Another safety-driven adjustment concerns power unit deployment in poor weather. Boost mode, previously removed from wet-weather running, will return for low-grip or low-visibility conditions. Its use will be tightly limited: it may only prevent power reduction, not increase total output.
The first issue of the 2027 Technical Regulations has also been ratified, with structural, wording, and targeted technical updates designed to improve clarity, consistency, and enforceability. The FIA says this remains a continuous process as teams gather real-world data from the 2026 cars.
The most significant longer-term shift concerns the hybrid power unit balance. For 2027 and 2028, the FIA has approved changes that will increase the Internal Combustion Engine's (ICE) contribution relative to the electrical systems. By 2028, the championship will move toward a 60/40 split between the ICE and MGU-K.
ICE Output: Will rise to 450 kW.
MGU-K Output: Maximum power reduced to 300 kW.
Overtake Mode: Remains capped at 350 kW.
Regeneration Capacity: Increases from 350 kW to 400 kW.
Fuel Flow: Will rise in stages---5% in 2027, followed by 13% in 2028.
FIA President H.E. Mohammed Ben Sulayem stressed that major rule changes require ongoing dialogue.
"As with every major regulatory change, the process does not end when the cars first take to the track. Continuous dialogue and collaboration are essential to ensuring that the regulations meet the needs of the sport, its drivers, and its fans."
He also confirmed discussions are already underway on future power unit concepts, including V8 engines powered by fully sustainable fuels.
Heās a software engineer with a deep passion for Formula 1 and motorsport. He co-founded Formula Live Pulse to make live telemetry and race insights accessible, visual, and easy to follow.
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