Formula 1 teams have unanimously agreed to make refinements to the much-maligned 2026 regulations.  

Following a crucial virtual meeting involving governing body the FIA, team principals, chief executives of power unit manufacturers and Formula One Management on Monday 20 April, changes to the rules were confirmed. 

The final proposals were presented during Monday’s crunch meeting and ratified for implementation from the next round of the 2026 F1 season, the Miami Grand Prix on 3 May, providing they pass an FIA World Motor Sport Council (WMSC) e-vote. 

What F1 rules have been tweaked? 

The tweaks are two-fold, with three relating to qualifying and three for the race itself.

The first qualifying change will see the permitted recharge rate reduced from 8MJ to 7MJ in a bid to lessen the need for excessive harvesting and encourage more flat-out driving. The FIA says this change “targets a maximum superclip duration reduced to approximately 2-4 seconds per lap”. 

Secondly, the peak super clip power has been increased from 250kW to 350kW. This will further reduce the time spent recharging, as well as reducing the driver workload on energy management. This tweak will also apply in race conditions. 

The final qualifying change has seen a revision to the number of events where alternative lower energy limits may apply. This has been increased from 8 to 12 races, allowing for greater flexibility and adaptation to circuit characteristics. 

For the grand prix itself, the maximum power available through the Boost in race conditions has been capped at 150kW. This is aimed at cutting dramatic performance differentials. 

MGU-K deployment will be maintained at 350kW from corner west to braking points including overtaking zones, but will be limited to 250kW in other parts of the lap. 

These changes are designed to combat concerns relating to dramatic closing speed differences, which came under the spotlight following Ollie Bearman’s frightening 50G crash at the Japanese Grand Prix last time out. 

What about race starts? 

Another key area where safety concerns were raised related to race starts, but Ferrari had crucially blocked previous attempts to change the start procedure. 

The FIA has confirmed that enhanced safety mechanisms will be tested in Miami and adopted following further feedback and analysis. 

These include a new “low power start detection” system, which has been developed to identify cars with “abnormally low acceleration” shortly after a driver releases the clutch. 

In such instances, an automatic MGU-K deployment will be triggered to “ensure a minimum level of acceleration and mitigate start-related risks without introducing any sporting advantage”. 

This will come hand-in-hand with a new visual warning system that will alert drivers through flashing lights on the rear and sides of affected cars. 

Additionally, a reset of the energy counter at the start of the formation lap has been implemented in an attempt to correct a previously identified system inconsistency. 

Push to increase safety in the wet 

Following driver feedback, proposals have also been put forward to improve safety and visibility in wet conditions. 

Tyre blanket temperatures for intermediate tyres have been increased to improve initial grip and tyre performance in the wet, while maximum ERS deployment will be reduced to limit torque and improve car control in low-grip conditions. 

The rear light systems have been simplified and will feature clearer and more consistent visual cues to improve both visibility and reaction time for following drivers when conditions are particularly poor.