Formula 1’s key stakeholders are meeting on Monday to decide potential tweaks to the regulations after a series of discussions across the sport in recent weeks.
Reviews of the early impact of F1’s all-new 2026 chassis and engine rules — which feature roughly a 50/50 split between internal combustion and electrical power — were always planned after the season’s opening races. They were pushed into sharper focus after the Japanese Grand Prix, when drivers criticised energy-management requirements in qualifying at Suzuka and Oliver Bearman suffered a large crash amid a significant speed differential with the car he was following.
During F1’s enforced April break, a series of meetings took place to consider changes to energy management in particular. The FIA and F1 have held talks with technical staff from teams and engine manufacturers, and there have been discussions with drivers. Monday’s meeting will include representatives from F1, the FIA, teams and engine manufacturers and is expected to agree what proposals will be put to a World Motor Sport Council e-vote. The season resumes at the Miami Grand Prix next week.
FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem said on social media the talks had been “constructive and collaborative” and thanked drivers for providing “invaluable input on adjustments which they feel should be made, particularly in the areas of energy management to ensure safe, fair and competitive racing.”
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff urged caution, saying changes should be made “with a scalpel and not with a baseball bat.” He described recent discussions among drivers, the FIA, Formula 1 and teams as constructive, sharing the same objectives: improve racing and safety. Wolff said the aim is to evolve the sport carefully, learning from past instances where rushed decisions led to overshooting and unintended consequences, and expressed cautious optimism about reaching good solutions.
Mercedes driver and GPDA director George Russell outlined drivers’ priorities, saying the two headline points are ensuring qualifying is genuinely flat-out — eliminating lift-and-coast — and reducing closing speeds. He explained the Bearman–Colapinto incident involved two factors: Bearman was using his boost button and had around 350kW in an unusual part of the track, while Colapinto had used his boost on the preceding main straight and was low on battery, leaving him with less power. Russell said drivers want to reduce such closing-speed differences in abnormal areas of the track, especially outside designated Straight Mode (SM) sections; the Bearman crash occurred in a non-SM area.
Russell suggested some short-term regulatory adjustments could help, such as increasing the permitted battery-harvest rate when a driver is at full throttle — the so-called ‘super clip’ — and specifically noted removing the minus-350-kilowatt super clip restriction would discourage lift-and-coast. He also pointed to rules that limit how quickly an engine can be de-rated, which on very short straights can prevent a change from 350kW to a super clip in time; small tweaks here could significantly improve the driving experience. Russell added that communications between the FIA and a group of drivers have been strong, probably the closest in many years.
McLaren sporting director Andrea Stella said he was encouraged by the collaborative tone of the talks. Meetings are taking place between all parties, including drivers, under the FIA’s guidance to determine what and how things can be improved. Stella highlighted aims such as making qualifying genuinely rewarding for drivers while enhancing safety in starts and close racing. He said Monday’s meeting with the FIA and F1 will decide how to implement potential adjustments and praised the sense of responsibility and spirit of collaboration shown by everyone involved.
Formula 1 returns on May 1-3 with the Miami Grand Prix, the season’s second Sprint weekend, live on Sky Sports F1.