FIA and F1 officials aim to adjust 2026 regulations, emphasizing ‘energy management’ aspects.
The FIA and Formula 1 teams are focusing on adjustments to the 2026 technical regulations to address some of the issues highlighted during the first three rounds of this year’s championship.
A meeting took place on Thursday involving the sport’s governing body and technical representatives from teams and power unit manufacturers, with additional meetings scheduled to finalize any possible modifications ahead of the next race in Miami on May 3.
The discussions are centered on the excessive energy management required under the new regulations, particularly concerning qualifying and the potential safety risks posed by significant speed differentials among cars.
The latest generation of power units can utilize three times more electrical energy than their predecessors; however, this has resulted in energy shortages at most circuits as they struggle to recover the necessary electrical power during braking to meet the power demands on the straights.
This imbalance has led to a new driving approach where the harvesting of electrical energy is often prioritized over maximizing performance, even during qualifying laps.
Four-time champion Max Verstappen has described the new generation of cars as “Formula E on steroids,” while other drivers have advocated for changes that would shift the focus back to the driver rather than the power unit.
The regulations have also introduced a new racing style this year, which frequently leads to multiple battery power-assisted overtakes per lap and has faced criticism from some drivers.
However, following the initial three grands prix, sources have informed ESPN that F1 executives were satisfied with the new racing style, which they assert has been positively received by the fans they have surveyed.
Details from Thursday’s meeting were not disclosed, but an FIA statement confirmed that the emphasis was on “energy management” after a general consensus among teams that the races held so far “have provided exciting racing.”
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F1 has emphasized that the series of meetings leading up to Miami are not intended to fundamentally alter the formula, but rather to agree on adjustments to refine some of the rough edges.
The next meeting is scheduled for April 15 to discuss potential changes that may need to be made to the sporting regulations (a separate FIA rulebook from the technical regulations), followed by a meeting among technical heads on April 16 to further investigate the necessary technical modifications.
A “high-level meeting” will subsequently occur on April 20 involving the FIA, team principals, and F1 executives, during which “preferred options jointly proposed by the technical teams will be evaluated and a consensus sought on the way forward.”
Any adjustments to the regulations will require approval from the FIA’s World Motor Sport Council, although this stage of the process typically serves as a formality for changes that have already been agreed upon.
Source: espn.com
