F1 teams unlikely to accept 2027 downforce cuts, says Allison

Formula 1's FIA is reportedly targeting a reduction of 20 to 50 points of downforce for the 2027 season, with plans to ban several key rear aerodynamic elements. The aim is to improve hybrid energy management and reduce the turbulent "dirty air" that makes close following difficult.

Mercedes technical director James Allison, speaking on the NU Silver Arrows Radio Show podcast, confirmed that the cars will lose downforce under the new rules, "more than a bit". He said the FIA has tried to return downforce to the level at the start of the 2026 era, and questioned whether the teams would accept that or recover it.

Allison's comments point to a familiar cycle in which the governing body restricts performance and teams spend heavily in the wind tunnel to win it back, with the 2027 development battle now expected to follow the same pattern.