Formula 1 has agreed to a set of rule tweaks to address concerns about its controversial new cars ahead of the Miami Grand Prix on May 3.
F1 underwent its biggest rule change this season which included a move to new V6 hybrid engines featuring a near 50/50 split between combustion and electrical power.
That has led to a bigger focus on the battery and the way drivers harvest and deploy energy around a lap, which has created a litany of problems and a new driving style unpopular with many drivers and a significant chunk of fans.
On Monday, F1's teams met with the sport's boss, Stefano Domenicali, and key figures from the governing FIA to address those concerns and to make changes ahead of the Miami Grand Prix on May 3.
Drivers have also been in communication with F1 and the FIA this month.
On Monday evening, the FIA released an extensive list of changes, which will come into force for the race in Miami. Despite the exhaustive list, F1 has stressed privately that the changes are minor tweaks to a set of rules it is still steadfastly in favor of.
It remains unclear whether more sweeping changes to the rules will be made ahead of the 2027 season.
"The final proposals presented during today's meeting were the result of a series of consultations over the past few weeks between the FIA, technical representatives and extensive input from F1 drivers," an FIA statement said.
"Discussions around potential adjustments were based on data gathered from the first three events of the 2026 season."
Reigning world champion Lando Norris has said the cars are not what he and his peers grew up dreaming of racing once they reached Formula 1. Four-time world champion Max Verstappen has called the new cars "anti-racing," likened it Mario Kart and to all-electric series Formula E "on steroids."
Verstappen has also hinted that he is ready to quit the sport altogether, largely due to his dislike of the new cars.
Most alarmingly, the issues have not centered in one area, with problems now existing across every part of an F1 weekend.
The extreme energy management needed in qualifying has seen drivers needing to lift and coast through once-flat out corners. The new cars have added a new term to F1's lexicon -- super-clipping, the phenomenon of cars losing top speed when a driver's foot is flat to the floor when the energy gets diverted from the engine to the battery instead of the crankshaft.
Safety concerns have also been raised, highlighted by Oliver Bearman's near miss with Alpine's Franco Colapinto in Japan, when the Haas driver approached the Argentinian's car with a much higher closing speed and narrowly avoided contact.
Teams and manufacturers have different strategies and software deploying their power boosts, meaning there is not one set place where cars have access to the increase in speed.
After that incident at Suzuka, Williams driver and Grand Prix Drivers Association chairman Carlos Sainz criticized F1 and the FIA for ignoring drivers warnings over safety because advocates of the new formula are excited by the new back-and-forth racing created by the battery boosts available to every car on the grid.
The drivers are not all united against the new rules -- Lewis Hamilton has called the new cars the purest form of wheel-to-wheel racing he's ever experienced in his storied F1 career.
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There's also been issues with starts, caused by vastly different turbo designs -- Ferrari has had lightning starts off the line while other manufacturers have been slow, leading to safety concerns about collisions with wildly different launch speeds off the line. Teams have also raised a litany of concerns over potential problems in wet weather running.
Here are the FIA's rule tweaks in full, in the words of the governing body's Monday announcement.
Qualifying
- Adjustments to energy management parameters, including a reduction in maximum permitted recharge from 8MJ to 7MJ, aimed at reducing excessive harvesting and encouraging more consistent flat-out driving. This change targets a maximum superclip duration reduced to approximately 2-4 seconds per lap.
- Peak superclip power increased to 350 KiloWatts(kW), previously being 250kW, further reducing the time spent recharging, and reducing driver workload on energy management. This will also be applied in Race conditions.
- The number of events where alternative lower energy limits may apply has been increased from eight to 12 races, allowing greater adaptation to circuit characteristics.
Race
- The maximum power available through the Boost in race conditions is now capped at +150 kW (or the car's current power level at activation if higher) limiting sudden performance differentials.
- MGU-K deployment is maintained at 350 kW in key acceleration zones (from corner exit to braking point, including overtaking zones) but will be limited to 250 kW in other parts of the lap.
- These measures are designed to reduce excessive closing speeds while maintaining overtaking opportunities and overall performance characteristics.
Race starts
-A new "low power start detection" system has been developed, capable of identifying cars with abnormally low acceleration shortly after clutch release.
- In such cases, an automatic MGU-K deployment will be triggered to ensure a minimum level of acceleration and mitigate start-related risks without introducing any sporting advantage.
- An associated visual warning system is being introduced, activating flashing lights (rear and lateral) on affected cars to alert following drivers.
- A reset of the energy counter at the start of the formation lap has also been implemented to correct a previously identified system inconsistency.
Wet conditions
- Tire blanket temperatures for intermediate tires have been increased following driver feedback in order to improve initial grip and tire performance in wet conditions.
- Maximum ERS deployment will be reduced, limiting torque and improving car control in low-grip conditions.
- The rear light systems have been simplified, with clearer and more consistent visual cues to improve visibility and reaction time for following drivers in poor conditions.
