The FIA is plotting to relaunch the 2026 Formula 1 season following a difficult start to the new technical regulations, including issues with excessive battery management and energy deployment.
The FIA is also planning on giving freedom to the drivers to decide how and when their energy is deployed, with a focus on preventing cars from self-learning, or dramatically slowing down.
What Motorsport Week thinks of the FIA plan for F1
The changes, voted through by F1 teams and ratified by the FIA, will likely come into effect for Miami. To get to this point will require unity, a trait not known in a sport overrun with self-interest and high-stakes commercial deals.
But this extraordinary gathering of teams, engine manufacturers and the FIA feels very different to previous crises. The prevailing attitude is not “if” are changes are made, its “when”.
A finalised deal to be signed off by the World Motorsport Council is still a while away, with several meetings taking place between now and May. If successful, these changes will salvage the racing spectacle in 2026, but will very much be a sticking plaster.
The jury remains out if any changes will have an immediate impact, given that teams will opt for a cautious approach to the weekend, given its sprint format.
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