Racing Bulls Team Principal Alan Permane has dismissed hopes that regulatory changes ahead of the Miami Grand Prix will address Formula 1′s energy recovery issues.
F1 is battling energy recovery issues in 2026, as excessive battery management continues to impact on-track action.
Drivers are finding their cars are running out of battery on straights, with energy being harvested during the lap via superclipping.
This has led to criticism of the racing spectacle, with qualifying significantly impacted as a result of the energy-saving and deployment measures.
Permane admits that while lifting and coasting remains unpopular, he revealed how the sport intends to address it.
“I know people don’t like lift and coast, and I know we don’t want to see any stray harvesting, and the way to eliminate that is to give us much less energy,” Permane said to media, including Motorsport Week.
“We will make the cars slower, but I don’t think we want to make the corners less challenging, so we need to be careful, and I know the FIA are being careful.
Full picture not clear until after Miami?
Permane confirmed that while changes are planned for Miami, the racing spectacle may not change, for one key reason.
“There will be changes for Miami, but I’m not sure we will see the whole raft of changes for Miami, because the format of the event makes people want to be cautious.
“There are many suggestions which have been put forward, and I think that we have a particularly tough time going with Miami being a Sprint, because there’s really little time to test anything.
“So it may well be that we try some of the ones which are a bit simpler and less risky in Miami, try some more in Montreal, and then we go to Monaco, where it is almost impossible to test anything.
“So Barcelona might be the first time we try some more of the challenging ones, I wouldn’t say it is necessary to upgrades, I would say we should keep an open mind.
“Maybe this is a continuous thing, but it should be driven by the FIA and by F1, but I don’t think we should limit ourselves, and certainly, we can keep working at it.”
Permane’s honest assessment of the changes planned for Miami indicates the teams are aware that fans may be searching for an immediate transformation of the racing spectacle.
Managing expectations in the Sunshine State will prove crucial.
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