What? will there be a simple gearbox Formula 1 in 2026?

(Motorsport-Total.com) – As part of the new engine regulations from 2026, Formula 1 teams want to reduce the “horrendous” costs caused by the current gearbox. According to Aston Martin team boss Mike Krack, transfers spend about eight to nine million US dollars per season without being a major factor in performance.

While the 2026 engine rules are already set, all chassis-related issues are still being discussed. Cost reduction is important, which is probably why the gearbox should also be an issue. A few years ago, the FIA ​​tried unsuccessfully to make the gearbox a standard part.

And with the fact that the gearbox is not a big factor in the sport, it costs a lot for Krack: “If you look at the gearbox these days and compare it to other types of motorcycles, the gearbox is not a performance difference,” he said. he says.

“In a world of tight budgets, you have to ask yourself, what’s the point of using complex technology like this when it’s not going to make a difference? Each team is just cutting eight to nine million dollars a year on gear that doesn’t work. Even having it makes no difference in performance.”

Krack insists that they are currently discussing with the FIA ​​”if it doesn’t make sense to use simple gearboxes, cheap, with simple technology and maybe a few units a year that you need to make the whole sport more sustainable.”

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“Total spending in the paddock is over $100 million a year. You might wonder if that’s important when you look at other breeds,” he says. “That’s why we’re in the conversation and why I think as a sport we need to ask these questions and think if there’s any value in making things a little bit easier.”

For example, he mentions the difference, which he says is “unique”. “You can talk about whether it needs to be seamless, you can talk about the number of gears, or you can establish a certain level of standards,” says Krack.

Vasseur: The budget limit is enough

“I wouldn’t go so far as to say a standard gearbox for everyone, or the same box for everyone, but design specifications or something to keep costs down.”

Although Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur admits that the gearbox could be a cost-cutting target, the presence of a budget limit is enough.

“We can certainly try to simplify something,” he says. “But we also have a budget limit and you can’t play both sides. A budget limit, if everyone sticks to it, is good enough for me.”