Formula 1 officials, teams, manufacturers and drivers are meeting on Monday to agree possible tweaks to the new 2026 technical regulations, with decisions expected to be packaged for a World Motor Sport Council e-vote. The talks come after planned early-season reviews of the sport’s overhauled chassis and power-unit rules — which target roughly a 50/50 split between internal-combustion and electrical output — and were sharpened by criticism following the Japanese Grand Prix, where qualifying energy-management and a high-speed crash involving Oliver Bearman raised safety concerns.
During F1’s April break, the FIA and Formula 1 held technical discussions with teams, engine makers and drivers to probe energy-recovery, deployment and related systems. Monday’s gathering will bring those stakeholders together to decide which proposals should move forward. The championship resumes at the Miami Grand Prix next weekend (May 1–3), the second Sprint weekend of the season.
FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem described the consultations as “constructive and collaborative,” thanking drivers for their “invaluable input” on adjustments, particularly around energy management to protect safety, fairness and the quality of racing.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff urged a cautious approach, saying any changes should be made “with a scalpel and not with a baseball bat.” He emphasised that recent exchanges among drivers, the FIA, F1 and teams have been positive and aligned on improving racing and safety, and warned against rushed fixes that can create new problems.
Mercedes driver and GPDA director George Russell set out drivers’ priorities: make qualifying genuinely flat‑out by removing lift‑and‑coast behaviour, and reduce dangerous closing-speed differentials. He pointed to the Bearman–Colapinto incident as an example of how mismatched energy states can produce rapid, unexpected closing speeds — Bearman had active boost and high power in an unusual part of the track while Colapinto arrived low on battery after using boost on the previous straight. Russell suggested short-term regulatory adjustments such as increasing permitted battery-harvest at full throttle (the so-called “super clip”) and revising the minus‑350 kW super-clip restriction to discourage lift‑and‑coast. He also highlighted rules that limit how quickly an engine can be de-rated, saying small tweaks there could prevent abrupt speed differences on short sections of track.
McLaren sporting director Andrea Stella said he welcomed the collaborative tone of talks under FIA guidance, with all parties discussing practical ways to make qualifying more rewarding and to enhance safety at starts and in close racing. Monday’s meeting is expected to clarify how any agreed changes would be implemented and sent to the World Motor Sport Council for approval via e-vote.
Formula 1 returns at the Miami Grand Prix on May 1–3, with live coverage on Sky Sports F1.