Vasseur Doubts 'Mega Realistic' Spec Engine Proposal for F1 Customers

Ferrari Team Principal Frederic Vasseur has questioned whether the mooted proposal for spec power units for customer teams in Formula 1 would be "mega realistic". His remarks come amid sweeping rule change proposals from the FIA, following the introduction of the all-new 2026 technical regulations.

FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem had suggested the sport would not shy away from introducing an independent power unit manufacturer to supply engines to non-works outfits. This followed renewed criticism of B-team setups within the paddock.

"There will be no control over the teams, A-team over the B-team, that's supplied with their engines," he told Reuters. "If it is affordable, then we will have one engine for the rest of the B-teams, so nobody can leverage them."

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Vasseur, who heads the Maranello-based squad's F1 operations, weighed in on the proposal. Currently, Ferrari supplies power units to Haas and Cadillac. "Everything is possible," he told media including Motorsport Week. "If someone wants to do an engine today, they can. It's a matter of performance. Sometimes we can imagine that to do a V8, it's easier than something else. I don't know if it is mega realistic."

Vasseur contemplated the ground realities of starting an engine program under the current rules. With the cost cap in place, manufacturers are cash-strapped, and incremental upgrades are only allowed under the FIA's ADUO scheme. Series like Formula 2 and Formula 3 are pure spec-series with Mecachrome engines.

The Frenchman explained that building an F1 engine from scratch may not be complex, but being competitive against works outfits would be the real problem. "To build up the engine, it's not complex," Vasseur continued. "What is complex is the level of performance. If you think that with the cost cap, I think that this exercise is very difficult to be performant."

Ben Sulayem has also hinted at a potential return to V8 engines to replace the current V6 hybrid configuration, further fuelling the debate on F1's technical direction.