FIA 'worried' F1 team could quit the sport if major rule change is approved

The FIA are reportedly wary that one F1 team could quit the sport if a major new rule change is approved for 2026.

The 2026 grid will expand to 11 teams, with American car manufacturer General Motors - through their Cadillac division - set to become the first new team in F1 since Haas 10 years earlier.

Cadillac are yet to announce which drivers will compete for the team, although the American IndyCar Series is one option, with the likes of Colton Herta, Pato O'Ward and Alex Palou all tentatively linked.

There will technically be a second 'new' team on the grid, with German car giants Audi taking ownership of the current Kick Sauber team.

It was initially announced in August 2022 that Audi would enter F1 as a power unit supplier, before deciding to purchase a 100 per cent stake in Sauber in March 2024.

Audi have already been preparing to begin their F1 entry, with former Red Bull sporting director Jonathan Wheatley appointed as team principal and ex-Ferrari chief Mattia Binotto in as Chief Operating Officer/Chief Technical Officer.

Image: Twitter/F1

The German car manufacturer has already stated that the new engine regulations for 2026 were a key reason behind joining the sport as a team owner.

New power units featuring increased battery power, and the use of 100 per cent sustainable fuels will be brought in from the beginning of the season.

The units will also feature a new system which gives drivers a 'short burst of energy' within one second of the car front - effectively removing the long-controversial DRS and changing to a similar system to the push-to-pass button used in IndyCar.

The MGU-K units will also be removed.

But F1 chiefs have recently discussed the idea of returning to popular V10 engines alongside fully sustainable fuels.

And there have been rumours - though nothing the FIA has yet made any comment on - over whether the planned 2026 units could be scrapped.

It is claimed that F1 could instead return to the loud V10 engines, which haven't been used since 2005.

But FIA single-seater technical director Nikolas Tombazis has told media that he is 'wary' of Audi potentially going back on their commitment to join the sport should the planned engine regulation changes be reversed.

He said (via RacingNews365): "I don't want to pre-judge that, because we are still in discussions. We are still in discussions with PUMs [power unit manufacturers] over the next few weeks, and so therefore I wouldn't like to prejudice it.

"We are very proud to have brought Audi to the sport, and we fully respect that and don't want them to reverse their decision.

"We are also very proud to have made Honda reconsider leaving the sport and come back, so anything we do is a complex balance between these factors."