FIA to hold crucial F1 meeting after new regulations flop

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F1 2026 Regulations

FIA to hold crucial F1 meeting after new regulations flop

Concerning incidents from Japanese Grand Prix precede meeting

By Brian Van Hinthum.

Friday 3 April 2026 11:57

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Key stakeholders in Formula 1, including team technical chiefs and engine manufacturer representatives, will meet with FIA leadership on April 9 for a crucial discussion according to reports.

The aim is to address the most pressing issues in the new 2026 technical regulations.

The first three races of the season have exposed both the strengths and shortcomings of these new rules. This has spurred calls for a series of adjustments ahead of the Miami Grand Prix on May 3 according to The Race.

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While opinions remain divided on the nuances of the new energy management system, most in the paddock agree that changes are needed in other areas.

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Safety and the impact on qualifying

Safety has topped the agenda in the wake of Haas driver Ollie Bearman’s heavy crash during the Japanese Grand Prix last weekend.

The incident was sparked by a 50 km/h speed differential between his boost-mode car and Franco Colapinto’s energy-saving Alpine. McLaren team principal Andrea Stella repeatedly stressed that urgent action was required to prevent a future accident, a sentiment echoed by Haas boss Ayao Komatsu, who stated, "We simply cannot ignore it."

Criticism has also been mounting over the current qualifying format. Many believe it has been derailed by an overemphasis on energy management, leading to tactics like lift and coast and super clipping. Drivers such as Charles Leclerc lament the end of the era when qualifying battles were determined purely by speed.

Loss of top speed on straights

Fans and drivers alike are concerned about the dramatic drop in top speed on long straights as the battery depletes. In previous generations, cars reached their peak speed just before the braking zone, but today the effect is far more pronounced. This issue was evident on the approach to Turn 9 in Melbourne and again at the 130R corner during the Suzuka race.

World champion Lando Norris summed up the frustration perfectly: "It’s gut-wrenching to watch your speed drop by 56 km/h on the straightaway." Not only is this drop a blow to drivers’ performance, but it also looks striking in onboard footage, where even the engine’s roar fades away. The proposed fix is to smooth out the speed curve so that the car only hits its maximum velocity at the very end of the straight.

Potential solutions

Currently, six possible solutions are under consideration, with adjustments in one area potentially benefiting others. One relatively simple measure would be to boost the super clipping limit to 350 kilowatts. At present, super clipping is capped at 250 kilowatts, while lift and coast delivers 350 kilowatts. Equalising these figures could reduce the need for lift and coast.

Another idea is to slow the cars down by lowering the maximum output from 350 kilowatts. This would allow the battery to last longer by distributing energy use more evenly along the straight.

The FIA already tested this concept last year in Bahrain. Additionally, there is talk of cutting the maximum energy storage even further from eight megajoules (already reduced from nine in Japan) to six megajoules. Although this change would likely increase lap times significantly, it would also decrease the reliance on extreme tactics to recharge the battery.

A more unconventional proposal calls for completely revising the regulations around active aerodynamics. The so-called straight mode, which reduces drag by 25 to 40 per cent, is currently restricted to FIA-designated zones. Some experts suggest scrapping these zones entirely, much like the early days of DRS, to give teams the freedom to adjust their wing settings and extend battery life.

There’s also the possibility of increasing the contribution from the combustion engine, which currently produces 400 kilowatts compared to the battery’s 350 kilowatts. However, due to reliability concerns with current engine designs, this option is likely off the table for now, with any changes postponed until 2027.

Complexity and control for drivers

The meeting will not only tackle safety and energy management but also aim to simplify the increasingly complex regulations. Both fans and drivers have grown confused by the current system, a fact highlighted during a qualifying session in China when a quirk in the algorithm caused Charles Leclerc’s power unit to misfire.

The glitch resulted in the unit exceeding a critical threshold and using too much energy at the wrong time, a situation Leclerc later described as 'a bit silly.'

Eliminating these convoluted thresholds could return control to the drivers and their machines, refocusing qualifying on driver skill rather than computer-generated limits.

Written by

Brian Van Hinthum - Formule 1-redacteur & verslaggever

Brian van Hinthum is Formule 1-redacteur en verslaggever bij GPFans. Sinds 2021 volgt hij de sport dagelijks en schrijft hij over nieuws, analyses en ontwikkelingen binnen de paddock. Als geaccrediteerd journalist is hij regelmatig aanwezig op het circuit tijdens Grand Prix-weekenden.

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