F1 teams just did something the FIA weren't expecting - here's what it means

Leclerc and Ferrari and Russell and Mercedes with FIA — Photo: © IMAGO

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F1 teams just did something the FIA weren't expecting - here's what it means

The FIA have revealed that the F1 2026 teams have caught them by surprise

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Wednesday 6 May 2026 17:42

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Teams on the F1 2026 grid have reportedly caught the FIA off guard as the governing body continues to look into making adjustments to the new regulations.

The 2026 campaign introduced a completely overhauled set of chassis and power unit rules, which haven't exactly gone down well with the majority of drivers across the opening rounds of the season.

After Haas F1 star Ollie Bearman suffered a terrifying crash at the Japanese GP that could be blamed on dangerous closing speeds (a new issue for 2026) the grid rallied together to call upon F1's governing body to make instant changes.

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After a five-week enforced break from the calendar, the FIA rolled out 'tweaks' to this year's rules that had hoped to encourage more 'natural' racing, but some critics like Max Verstappen don't feel as if the changes have gone far enough.

The FIA have maintained they are still open to changing the regulations further, especially ahead of next season, and now, a potential review of the aerodynamic side of things has been unveiled.

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F1 team improvements 'challenge' FIA

According to The Race, F1 teams are set to discuss 'a downforce reduction plan' aimed at easing energy management issues in the new cars for next season onwards.

The idea is to reduce downforce, thereby requiring less energy management, an idea which the FIA has admitted was conjured up due to the teams causing an issue for them after showing unexpected levels of downforce.

The FIA claim that after evaluating the opening rounds of the 2026 championship, it has become clear that the performance of the new machinery through corners is having a major influence on the amount of energy available, because the quicker the cars are through turns, the less they can harvest.

The FIA's single-seater director Nikolas Tombazis has revealed that as a result, some of the current energy-management issues the drivers are struggling with are actually a result of the teams producing cars that are performing at a higher level than the FIA expected.

Speaking to The Race, Tombazis said: "One of the reasons it hasn't been right there from the start is that cars are going a bit faster [than anticipated].

"They [the teams] have found a bit more downforce than we were expecting, and therefore the energy recovered during braking is a bit lower than it would normally be.

"So we have a bit more of a challenge than we would have liked to have."

Tombazis admitted that he is content with the overall aerodynamic package for 2026, but that the downforce numbers need looking into as part of what F1's governing body sees as an over-reliance on energy management.

"We keep monitoring the performance of the cars, and we will make sure that, obviously through the governance process, cars remain roughly in the right envelope of performances that they need to be," he added.

The proposed solution is to reduce downforce, which in theory should help recover more energy. Additionally, it would lower the risk of tyre safety issues since lower corner speeds mean less stress on the tyres. Insiders are considering cuts of 20, 30, or even 40 points in downforce.

F1 FIA 2026 regulations Nikolas Tombazis