The FIA has issued a statement following the inaugural meeting between the governing body and Formula 1 teams over potential changes to the F1 regulations.
F1 has come under fire since the new 2026 regulations were introduced, with claims of artificial racing due to the extreme battery-management requirements of the power units.
Safety concerns about differences in closing speeds across the available power modes then became impossible to ignore following Oliver Bearman’s horror crash at Suzuka.
The FIA announced that it would engage in dialogue with the teams as speculation mounted that urgent changes are being considered to improve the racing spectacle, with a particular focus on qualifying.
Following the first meeting on Thursday, the FIA outlined the timeline for potential changes to the regulations, citing April 20th as the critical date for technical regulation changes could be voted on.
A series of meetings will take place prior to this to discuss points raised at today’s meeting, though details on what was discussed remained light.
Full statement from the FIA
The first of a series of meetings to discuss potential changes to the 2026 Formula 1 regulations was convened today by the FIA.
Today’s meeting, between the FIA and technical experts from the Teams and Power Unit Manufacturers, covered a raft of topics as part of the natural evolution of the 2026 F1 technical and sporting regulations.
It was generally agreed that although the events to date have provided exciting racing, there was a commitment to making tweaks to some aspects of the regulations in the area of energy management. There was constructive dialogue on difficult topics especially when considering the competitive nature of the stakeholders.
It was agreed earlier in the year by all parties that this sequence of meetings would take place following the first three races of the 2026 Formula 1 season. The scheduling was timed so that sufficient technical data could be gathered in advance of any discussions.
As part of the round of collaborative discussions, further meetings are planned over the coming fortnight. There is a Sporting Regulations meeting on April 15 during which any changes in Section B that are required to facilitate the technical changes will be discussed.
The next technical session will be on April 16 during which points discussed today will be followed up and new topics will be given exposure.
A high-level meeting with representation from all stakeholders is scheduled for April 20 where it is anticipated that preferred options jointly proposed by the technical teams will be considered and a consensus sought on the way forward.
The 2026 regulations were developed and agreed in close partnership with teams, OEMs, Power Unit Manufacturers, the commercial rights holder and the FIA all at the table. It is in this spirit of collaboration that potential changes are being discussed.
Any changes to the regulations will be subject to the FIA WMSC approval process.
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