Off to the meetings between the sport’s leaders and the team technicians to refine the critical issues that emerged from the new regulatory cycle in the first three races: the interventions will mainly be on qualifying
The Formula 1 cars prepare to return to the track. Appointment in first weekend of May in Miami after the month’s break due tocancellation of the grand prix in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia due to conflicts in the Middle East. After the first three races there was no shortage of controversy, sometimes fueled by the riders themselves as well as by the teams, over the new regulations and in recent days the International Federation has organized a series of meetings to try to improve things. The first meeting involving the manufacturers’ technical leaders took place yesterday to address the critical issues that emerged in the first three GPs. A second technical meeting will be held on April 16. Finally, on April 20th, there will be the final meeting of a more political nature, which will see the participation of the team principals, F1 president Stefano Domenicali and the FIA, for the final discussion and the definitive green light to transform the technical proposals into executive decisions.
The note from the FIA
“The FIA has called the first of a series of meetings to discuss the possible changes to the Formula 1 regulations for 2026. The meeting between the FIA and the technical experts of the teams and power unit manufacturers touched on a series of topics as part of the natural evolution of the F1 technical and sporting regulations for 2026. It was agreed that, although the races held so far have offered a great spectacle, it is necessary make some changes to the energy management regulation. Dialogue on complex topics has been constructive, especially considering the competitive nature of the parties involved. As part of this round of collaborative discussions, further meetings are planned over the next two weeks. The next technical session will be held on April 16, during which the points already discussed will be explored in depth and new topics will be presented. A high-level meeting with representatives of all interested parties is planned for 20 April, during which it is expected that the preferred options, jointly proposed by the technical teams, will be considered and a consensus on the way forward will be sought.”
More energy on trial
With the current rules, the tests for the composition of the starting grid have proven to be penalizing for the drivers who to recover energy at some points of the circuit they are forced to lift their foot even though the car could be pushed to the max. Therefore the interventions will concern above all if not exclusively qualifications. However, no interventions on the races seem to be in sight, also due to the changes this season have led to a considerable increase in the number of overtakings and therefore to an appreciation of the new formula by the public as admitted by Lando Norris himself. “I think from the public’s point of view these races are very fun to watch” said the world champion. It must also be taken into account that many teams have not yet introduced the innovations prepared in the workshop, such as the “macarena” which should be Ferrari’s ace starting from the grand prix in Florida.
Protect safety
Another aspect highlighted by the pilots is that of safety: the typical situation is when a car is slower because it is charging and a faster one is approaching. We are thinking of using super-clipping, a system that allows us to recover energy without necessarily having to reduce speed as happens now
