Pat Symonds calls 2026 Formula 1 engines a "camel" as a result of a committee approach

Former Formula 1 technical director Pat Symonds has criticized the process of developing the new 2026 power unit regulations.

According to Idman.Biz, he said that excessive concessions to the teams and the FIA's "committee approach" have led to compromised and non-ideal rules.

"It was a bit disappointing that the Formula 1 leadership was getting less and less involved in developing the rules. It was mainly the FIA doing it, and things like the 2026 power unit didn't live up to my expectations.

When we were developing the 2022 car, we listened to the teams, but we made the decisions firmly. We said, 'Okay, we'll listen to you, but we're actually going to do this.' We took some of their suggestions into account.

The FIA said they wanted more manufacturers involved with the 2026 power unit. I'm sorry, and I think it's like asking a committee to design a racehorse and getting a camel. So, because of this very democratic approach, in one of those cases where democracy doesn't work, we got this camel. As a result, you end up with a power unit that is weak in terms of energy. True, there are ways to prevent this, but they are not very good," - RaceFans quoted Symonds.

He recalled that one of the goals was to simplify the engines and attract new manufacturers by removing the complex and expensive MGU-H element. To compensate for the loss of this energy source, energy recovery from the front axle was proposed. However, according to Symonds, this proposal was blocked due to objections from one team and the incomprehension of then FIA President Jean Todt.