F1 makes changes to promote 'flat out' qualifying and safer overtaking
Maybe, Max Verstappen had a point after all when he slammed the new cars for taking the joy out of driving. The four-time world champion called the new style of racing "a joke" after the Chinese Grand Prix and hinted he would take a break from F1 in 2027 unless changes were made.
His severe criticism of the new regulations introduced this season, mostly supported across the paddock, did have the occasional voice rebuking him for talking out of turn. But the Red Bull driver’s statements hinting at him not continuing in the sport for much longer would have made the Formula One chiefs sit up and take notice, given the value the Dutchman brings to the sport. Other drivers too had criticised the new rules and fans said the changes had detracted from the experience of spectators.
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The rules for this season had made cars a combination of combustion and electrical power, meaning drivers had to carefully manage their battery, effectively slowing down on a qualifying lap, while the cars had boost buttons to allow them to overtake.
However, following an online meeting between F1, its governing body FIA, and the sport's team principals on Monday, tweaks to the rules were finalised and are set to come into effect at the Miami Grand Prix on May 3.
Among the major changes, energy harvesting – which helps the driver charge the battery – will be reduced from eight megajoules to seven and the hybrid power unit will be increased from 250kw to 350kw.
A key aim is "reducing excessive harvesting (of energy) and encouraging more consistent flat-out driving," the FIA said.
That largely matches recommendations last week by Mercedes' George Russell, who's started 2026 as a title contender.
Another change has been made to the boost button, after Haas’ British driver Ollie Bearman's high-speed crash at the last round in Japan, which was attributed partly to the difference in closing speeds.
The boost button will now be capped at 150kw, "limiting sudden performance differentials", the FIA said in a statement. "These measures are designed to reduce excessive closing speeds while maintaining overtaking opportunities and overall performance characteristics," the FIA added.
Those measures, and safety changes for wet-weather driving, will be ready for the Miami GP. Other changes to reduce the risk of a crash on the starting grid will be trialed in Miami, including a boost for slow-starting cars and a visual warning.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff had earlier cautioned against sweeping changes to the rulebook, after his drivers Kimi Antonelli and Russell made a fast start to the season. Antonelli leads Russell by nine points in the standings after the first three races.
Speaking before the meeting, Wolff said: "The discussions that have been taking place between the drivers, the FIA, Formula One, and the teams have been constructive. And we all share the same objectives.
"It's how can we improve the product, make it out-and-out racing, and look at what can improve in terms of safety, but act with a scalpel and not with a baseball bat.
"We are going to ratify, in order to evolve, because there has only been three races. We need to learn from the past, where decisions were sometimes made in an erratic way, and then we overshot and realised it wasn't good.”
And in an apparent dig at Verstappen, Wolff added: "We are custodians of the sport and we have many hundreds of thousands of fans that love F1. In order to protect this huge opportunity that the sport gives us, we shouldn't badmouth in public our own sport."
After a five-week break following the cancellations of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian GPs, fans will be hoping that the latest tweaks will help bring about ‘proper racing’ on the tracks.
