Ilmor co-founder Illien questions F1’s electric power balance

Ilmor co-founder Mario Illien says F1’s 2026 engines rely too heavily on electric power, echoing Max Verstappen’s concerns about energy management.

GPBeat · Newsroom05 Oct 2026, 23:36 · 1 min

Mario Illien says Formula 1’s 2026 power units rely too heavily on electric power, making software and energy management more important to racing than he would like. The Ilmor co-founder made the comments in an interview published by RacingNews365 on 28 September. He supports hybrid engines and recovering kinetic energy, but objects to the current balance between electric and combustion power.

RacingNews365 compared his view with Max Verstappen’s complaints during pre-season testing in Bahrain. Verstappen had said the need to manage energy prevented him from driving flat out. Illien agreed that their views were similar and said he had reached his conclusion before the new rules took effect.

RacingNews365 reports that the FIA is working towards changing the combustion-to-electric power split from 52/48 to 58/42 in 2027 and 60/40 in 2028. Illien expects that to help a little, but says he would prefer the balance used before 2026.

Source context

RacingNews365’s interview with Illien, published on 28 September 2026, also recounts Verstappen’s earlier remarks and reports the possible FIA changes.

Claims and supporting evidence 5

RacingNews365 identifies Mario Illien as an Ilmor co-founder and reports his views in its own interview.

This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Illien’s role and the origin of the interview. Article published September 28, 2026. Only the retrieved RacingNews365 publication is available; there are no independently read publications to compare.

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Illien argues that the electric-power share is too high and that software and energy management have become too important relative to driving and racing. He does not reject hybrid power units altogether.

This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Illien’s assessment of the current F1 power units. The 2026 power-unit era, as discussed in the September 2026 interview. These are Illien’s assessments, not measured technical results established by the article.

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RacingNews365 quotes Verstappen criticizing the energy-management demands during preseason testing in Bahrain. When the outlet compared that criticism with Illien’s remarks, Illien agreed and said he had held his view beforehand. Their agreement does not establish that either assessment is objectively correct.

This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Verstappen’s earlier criticism and the extent of Illien’s agreement. Bahrain preseason testing earlier in 2026; Illien’s September 2026 interview. Verstappen’s earlier remarks are reproduced by RacingNews365; no separate original account of them was retrieved.

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RacingNews365 reports a current combustion/electric power split of 52/48 and says the FIA is working toward 58/42 for the following season and 60/40 in 2028. Illien expects such a shift to help somewhat but not resolve what he considers the problem.

This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Reported combustion/electric power shares and Illien’s response. Current split as reported in September 2026; proposed changes for 2027 and 2028. The figures and the FIA’s work are reported by RacingNews365, not verified against a retrieved FIA document. The article does not say the future splits have been adopted.

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Illien says he preferred the combustion/electric balance used before 2026 while continuing to support kinetic-energy recovery. The retrieved passage gives no numerical value for that earlier balance.

This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Illien’s preferred direction. Comparison between the period through 2025 and the 2026 rules. This is Illien’s preference, not a demonstrated solution.

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Corrections and updates to this story

05 Oct 2026, 23:36

De Nederlandse termen voor elektrisch vermogen en het vermogen van de verbrandingsmotor zijn verduidelijkt.

This article was produced with AI assistance. Source references make its supporting evidence traceable.