The unlikely series providing an open door to innovation

There are countless differences between the Formula 1 grid of 30 years ago and now, and one that has perhaps gone under the radar is the loss of engine variety. Ferrari’s screaming V12 was pitched against an array of V10 and V8 engines in 1994, when the Ford V8 powering Michael Schumacher’s Benetton’s B194 beat the Renault V10 in Damon Hill’s Williams FW16 to the title. Now all teams use 1.6-litre V6 turbo power units, and development is frozen until F1’s next major technical revamp in 2026.

It’s one thing to allow multiple engine configurations, as the World Endurance Championship does, but it’s quite another to welcome completely different methods of propulsion. Yet there are a few series that have left the door ajar. Take the FIA’s World Rally-Raid Championship, which contains provisions for hybrid, full-electric and hydrogen vehicles that have been on show this past week in the Dakar Rally. And there’s another, perhaps unlikely, avenue for technical freedom in circuit racing too.