Craig ScarboroughThe FIA have agreed a set of revisions to the power unit regulations as a reaction to issues seen in the first few races.
Working with F1, the engine manufacturers, teams and in particular with drivers’ feedback, several detail changes have been made to make racing more predictable.
These will be rubber stamped by the WMSC in order to be ready for the upcoming Miami GP.
After the first few races, energy management with the new power units has caused various problems with either the PU not delivering power when requested by the driver, or the car having to suddenly slow in order to recover energy.
In the former situation we found overtakes were not authentic, as a following driver had energy available whilst the leading one didn’t.
Then, the latter situation, having sudden closing speeds as a leading car suddenly starts to recover energy.
Tweaks to the 2026 F1 regulations have been agreed by all stakeholders following an FIA meeting, and will be implemented from the next round in Miami
Details here 👉 https://t.co/S7CQaHbvSV#F1 pic.twitter.com/8OUTnZuYo1
— Formula 1 (@F1) April 20, 2026
How were these issues able to happen ?
The process to establish these regulations was long and convoluted.
As the aim to make a more efficient racing car, leading to the now famous 50-50 power split between combustion engine and hybrid.
There was nothing fundamentally wrong with aiming for a more even split of power, world endurance cars were able to achieve this during the recent LMPH era.
Creating an electric motor to produce the 350kw is not an issue, but generating enough energy recovery has to be considered.
In the previous double-hybrid era of F1, energy was recovered both under braking by the MGUK and also by excess energy being recovered from the turbocharger via the MGUH.
During the discussions for these rules, various manufacturers had their own points of view for how energy recovery should and shouldn’t be achieved.
The compromises in getting everyone to agree on the same set of regulations has led to this problem.
New manufacturers did not want the expensive, complex and non road relevant MGUH.
While the incumbent suppliers did not want to pass an advantage to new manufacturers with experience in the WEC by having a front MGU, that could recover energy huge amounts of under braking.
The rules set we have ended up with discarded both of these energy recovery solutions. Leaving us with just the MGUK recovering energy from the rear axle.
This, along with highly prescriptive rules on energy recovery, have led us to the situation where the cars cannot recover enough energy around the lap to maintain the 50:50 power split.
This has led to points around the lap, where either there is no energy available in the battery, or it is better to lift in order to recover energy for use at other points around the lap.
Then lastly, using super clipping, which is where the car is flat out on a straight and suddenly switches to combustion power only and uses the MGUK to recover energy, while still on the straight leading to a sudden reduction in speed.
These issues have led to the general unhappiness with these new regulations.
What’s changing: Race
As we saw at the Japanese Grand Prix, sudden closing speeds in the race can lead to accidents.
The regulations, therefore, are limiting the ability for drivers to deploy their boost mode and MGUK deployment in certain areas of the circuit.
The boost option is now capped as an extra 150kw, while the usual MGUK deployment away from the key acceleration zones is reduced to 250kw from 350kw.
This means in complex sections of the track, a following driver cannot suddenly use a lot more power creating an unexpected closing speed.
This reduction in energy deployment should also free up energy for use elsewhere around the circuit, further, reducing the need to recover energy and lead to unexpected changes in performance.
What’s changing: Race starts
One issue somewhat unrelated to energy management is the problem with race starts.
Sometimes drivers are having problems preparing the turbocharger, despite the extra 5s delay with the light sequence. It often leads to a slow initial getaway, just as cars around them are making faster getaways.
This has clearly led to another problem of closing speeds with either a stationery or slow-moving car on the grid.
The car’s ECU will now detect a slow start and allow the MGUK to deploy earlier than usual in order to get the car moving quicker off the line.
As usually, the MGUK cannot be used below 50kph.
When the slow start is detected, the car’s real lights will flash to warn cars behind that the car is making a slow start.
What’s changing: Qualifying
There are three changes to energy regulations during qualifying to reduce super clipping and excessive closing speeds
Currently, the teams are allowed to recover 8mj of energy per lap, given this is rear axle energy recovery only, this is a high target.
Therefore the revised regulations reduce this to 7MJ. Thus, there will be less energy recovery required, reducing super clipping to 2-4s per lap.
Clearly, this will not ban super clipping completely, and because less energy can be recovered less can be deployed, therefore, lap times will be reduced somewhat.
The next change may seem counter intuitive, in that the energy recovery allowed during super clipping has actually increased, from 250kw to 350kw.
This means the period during super clipping will be reduced. The teams can gather more energy in a shorter space of time, with the higher rate of regeneration.
Lastly, certain circuits are compromised in how much regen they can provide around the lap.
Initially, eight circuits were identified to have a lower overall energy recovery limit than the 8mj for other circuits.
Not only will the general limit be reduced to 7mj, but 4 additional circuits have been identified to also have a lower limit.
Again this will mean lower lap times due to the lack of energy available for the hybrid system.
So while lap times maybe compromised, the drivers should be able to drive flat out with less energy management during a qualifying lap.
What’s changing: Wet Races
When a race is declared wet, there’s a number of changes, only one of which is specifically related to energy management.
When there is rain, energy deployment will be capped, which should help the drivers in controlling the car.
With hybrid power, delivery can be too sudden and break traction in wet conditions.
Therefore, the more controllable combustion engine will become more important in these conditions.
The two non power unit related changes, are the sensible introduction of higher tyre warmer temperatures for the intermediate tyres, allowing them to work more effectively straight out of the pits.
Lastly the rear lights on the wing and crash structure, we’ll have simpler flashing sequences to make them clearer in the conditions.
Summary
This series of tweaks to the regulations seems a sensible package are changing.
It’s not a knee jerk reaction to some of the more vocal complaints about these regulations.
Backed up my data, the driver’s opinions and all of the other parties involved, they seem to fix the first issues seen this season.
These may not be the only changes to the regulations this year. As we have only had three races, with plenty more to go.
While all of the parties involved need to be lauded for getting to a quick agreement in this case.
Already there is talk about the next power unit regulation cycle and another shift in the direction of combustion versus electrical.
But, there still needs to be proper discussion about how to shift these regulations forwards during this cycle of power unit regulations.
Compromises were made in formulating these regulations and I believe some of these were mistakes.
Decisions will need to be made quickly as any further changes will require significant changes to both power unit and chassis development.
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