FIA chief claims F1 engine changes were blocked, and fans will hate the reason why

An FIA flag edited on a backdrop of a neon blue Miami palm tree — Photo: © IMAGO

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FIA chief claims F1 engine changes were blocked, and fans will hate the reason why

The FIA have made some changes ahead of the Miami Grand Prix

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Wednesday 29 April 2026 22:42

An FIA chief has revealed why more drastic tweaks were not made to the F1 2026 regulations following a meeting between the FIA and Formula One Management (FOM) earlier this month.

Amid the five-week break in the calendar due to the cancellations of the Saudi Arabian and Bahrain Grands Prix, F1 opted to make changes to the 2026 sporting regulations following complaints from drivers and teams.

The wholesale regulation changes that were brought in to the sport in January have seen an increased amount of overtakes and closer racing between the cars, but more reliance on the drivers to manage their battery capacity, and a couple of scary incidents with regard to the enhanced closing speeds caused between a car harvesting energy and a car in boost mode.

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Electrical power changes have been made to decrease the maximum engine output from 8MJ to 7MJ, while the amount of recharge that can be stored has also been decreased. This is to encourage drivers to be more on the limit for more of the lap in qualifying, while also being brought in for safety reasons.

These changes were confirmed at a meeting on April 20 between the FIA and FOM, as well as power unit manufacturers, but a number of more drastic measures were not implemented ahead of the upcoming Miami Grand Prix.

And now, FIA technical director Jan Monchaux has revealed why that is the case. Monchaux's suggested that any further changes needed a majority vote, and that the self interests of the various power unit manufacturers got in the way of making more drastic changes.

"During the discussions, the option of reducing the electric component and allowing more gasoline power was on the table," he told Auto Motor und Sport. "However, this would have required a so-called super-majority. That means most manufacturers would have had to agree. But they didn't, and we can't make that decision over their heads. That's also why it's not part of the package.

"One thinks this gives me an advantage. Another thinks I'm winning races right now, so I don't want to change anything, and the third says I need 16 months to develop a new engine and 2027 isn't realistic."

Miami Grand Prix regulation changes in full

Below is the full statement from the FIA following the April 20 meeting which details all of the changes to the regulations that have been made ahead of this weekend's Miami Grand Prix.

"A number of refinements to the 2026 FIA F1 world championship regulations were agreed today during an online meeting between the FIA, team principals, CEOs of power unit manufacturers and FOM," the statement began.

"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.

"Discussions around potential adjustments were based on data gathered from the first three events of the 2026 season.

"The 2026 regulations were developed and agreed in close partnership with the FIA, teams, OEMs, Power Unit Manufacturers, and FOM. Changes to the regulations were discussed against the backdrop of this collaboration.

"The proposals agreed today were as follows and will be implemented from Miami apart from the race start changes that will be tested in Miami and adopted following feedback and analysis."

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 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.

F1 EXPLAINED: What is super clipping?

"The number of events where alternative lower energy limits may apply has been increased from 8 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."

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"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

"Tyre blanket temperatures for intermediate tyres have been increased following driver feedback in order to improve initial grip and tyre 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."

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Written by

Sam Cook - Digital Journalist

Sam Cook is a talented young sports journalist and social media professional who now specialises in Formula 1, having previously worked as a football journalist and a local news reporter for a variety of different brands.

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