Image: Mercedes won eight consecutive constructors’ titles and Lewis Hamilton won six drivers’ titles during the beginning of the hybrid era. By Lukas Raich – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, (Wikipedia)
A major rule shakeup in 2014 saw the 2.4-litre naturally aspirated V8 engines replaced by 1.6-litre turbocharged hybrid power units. This prompted Honda to return to the sport in 2015 as the championship’s fourth power unit manufacturer. Mercedes emerged as the dominant force after the rule shakeup, with Lewis Hamilton winning the championship, closely followed by his main rival and teammate, Nico Rosberg, with the team winning 16 out of the 19 races that season. The team continued this form in the next two seasons, again winning 16 races in 2015 before taking a record 19 wins in 2016, with Hamilton claiming the title in the former year and Rosberg winning it in the latter by five points. The 2016 season also saw a new team, Haas, join the grid, while Max Verstappen became the youngest-ever race winner at age 18 in Spain.
After revised aerodynamic regulations were introduced, the 2017 and 2018 seasons featured a title battle between Mercedes and Ferrari. Mercedes ultimately won the titles with multiple races to spare and continued to dominate in the next two years, eventually winning seven consecutive Drivers’ Championships from 2014 to 2020 and eight consecutive Constructors’ titles from 2014 to 2021. During these eight years between 2014 and 2021, a Mercedes driver won 111 of the 160 races, with Hamilton winning 81 of these and taking six Drivers’ Championships during this period to equal Schumacher’s record of seven titles. In 2021, the Honda-powered Red Bull team began to seriously challenge Mercedes, with Verstappen beating Hamilton to the Drivers’ Championship after a season-long battle that saw the pair exchange the championship lead multiple times.
This era has seen an increase in car manufacturers’ presence in the sport. After Honda’s return as an engine manufacturer in 2015, Renault came back as a team in 2016 after buying back the Lotus F1 Team. In 2018, Aston Martin and Alfa Romeo became Red Bull and Sauber’s title sponsors, respectively. Sauber was rebranded as Alfa Romeo Racing for the 2019 season, while Racing Point part-owner Lawrence Stroll bought a stake in Aston Martin to rebrand the Racing Point team as Aston Martin for 2021. In August 2020, all ten F1 teams signed a new Concorde Agreement committing them to the sport until 2025, including a $145 million budget cap for car development to support equal competition and sustainable development.
The COVID-19 pandemic forced the sport to adapt to budgetary and logistical limitations. A significant overhaul of the technical regulations intended to be introduced in the 2021 season was pushed back to 2022, with constructors instead using their 2020 chassis for two seasons, and a token system limiting which parts could be modified was introduced. The start of the 2020 season was delayed by several months, and both the 2020 and 2021 seasons were subject to several postponements, cancellations, and rescheduling of races due to shifting restrictions on international travel. Many races took place behind closed doors and with only essential personnel present to maintain social distancing.
In 2022, the F1 governing body announced a major rule and car design change intended to promote closer racing through the use of ground effects, new aerodynamics, larger wheels with low-profile tyres, and redesigned nose and wing regulations. Red Bull emerged as the dominant force after the rule shakeup. The 2022 and 2023 Constructors’ and Drivers’ Championships were won by Red Bull and Verstappen, with multiple races to spare.
In 2023, the FIA opened applications for new teams to enter Formula 1 shortly. Of the teams that applied, only Andretti was approved by the FIA, with them then being rejected by Formula One Management, though they have launched an appeal.
In early 2024, the Formula One landscape underwent a significant change in the sphere of team sponsorships and collaborations. Having competed for five seasons under the Alfa Romeo name, Sauber introduced a title partnership with the online casino Stake.com, resulting in the team’s new identity as Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber. Sauber will hold Stake’s sponsorship name until the end of 2025, after which it will become the Audi works team for the 2026 season onwards. Scuderia AlphaTauri, Red Bull’s junior team, dropped its name and took on sponsors from Hugo Boss and Cash App, becoming Visa Cash App RB, or VCARB, for 2024. Also in 2024, Formula One announced partnerships with Mattel to release Hot Wheels die-cast cars and with Lego, with the first new sets releasing in 2025. Previously, Lego sets based on Formula One cars had been released in 2024.
The regulations governing Formula One are set to be revised for the 2026 season, with big changes planned to help encourage closer and more competitive racing. Changes include:
- Move to fully sustainable fuels,
- Reduction in width and length for closer racing
- New front and Rear wing regulations
- Electric Motor
- MGU-K (Motor Generator Unit – Kinetic) power increased from 120 kW to 350 kW
- More stringent safety requirements
- Tighter budget caps
In November 2024, General Motors reached an agreement to enter Formula 1 in 2026 with its Cadillac brand.
References
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FIA Technical Regulations (2014–2026) – Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile. Available at: https://www.fia.com/regulations
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Formula 1 Hybrid Power Units Introduction – Formula1.com, 2014.
“How the 1.6-litre V6 turbo hybrid engines reshaped modern F1.” -
Honda Returns to F1 in 2015 – BBC Sport, May 2013.
“Honda confirms F1 return in partnership with McLaren.” -
Mercedes F1 Dominance (2014–2020) – Autosport Archives, various articles from 2014 to 2020.
Documenting Mercedes-AMG Petronas’s streak of Constructors’ and Drivers’ titles. -
Max Verstappen, Youngest Winner – ESPN F1, May 2016.
“Verstappen becomes youngest-ever Grand Prix winner at age 18.” -
Haas F1 Joins the Grid – The Guardian, 2016.
“American team Haas makes competitive debut in Formula 1.” -
Ferrari vs Mercedes Rivalry (2017–2018) – Motorsport.com, Season Reviews.
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Red Bull vs Mercedes Championship Battle (2021) – The Race, December 2021.
“Verstappen defeats Hamilton in one of the most controversial title fights.” -
Renault Reacquires Lotus, Returns as Team (2016) – Sky Sports F1.
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Team Sponsorship Developments: Aston Martin, Alfa Romeo, Stake – Formula1.com, 2018–2024.
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Concorde Agreement (2020) – FIA & Formula One Group Joint Release.
“All ten F1 teams sign Concorde Agreement through 2025.” -
COVID-19 Impact on F1 (2020–2021) – Reuters and BBC Sport.
Coverage of postponed races, budget cuts, and calendar changes. -
2022 F1 Technical Overhaul: Ground Effects Return – FIA and Formula1.com.
“New era of car design begins to promote close racing.” -
Red Bull’s Dominance in 2022 and 2023 – RaceFans.net.
“Statistical analysis of Red Bull’s commanding seasons.” -
2023 FIA Team Applications and Andretti Controversy – Motorsport.com, October 2023.
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Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber Announcement (2024) – Sauber Group Press Release.
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VCARB (Visa Cash App RB) Rebranding (2024) – Red Bull Media House, January 2024.
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F1 Partnerships with Mattel and Lego (2024) – Official Formula One Press Releases.
“F1 announces licensing deals with Hot Wheels and Lego.” -
F1 2026 Regulation Preview – FIA Future Regulations Summit, November 2024.
“New sustainable engines, smaller chassis, and more electrification.” -
General Motors and Cadillac Entry to F1 (2026) – GM Press Room, November 2024.
“Cadillac confirmed to enter Formula 1 in partnership with Andretti.”
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