FIA single-seater director Nikolas Tombazis has confirmed that a proposal was made last year to reduce potential electrical energy deployment for 2026, but it was rejected.

A 200kW limit was proposed at that stage, roughly halving the planned 350kW of electrical power, but the teams opted to retain the higher power level.

FIA boss confirms rejected 2026 power proposal

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Evaluations after the first three rounds of the season saw other tweaks made to the new regulations, including an increase in peak super clipping capabilities from 250kW to 350kW, to reduce the time drivers spend charging the power unit while at full throttle.

A reduction in the maximum energy generating capabilities per lap should encourage a reduction in lift-and-coast behind the wheel, to promote a more ‘natural’ style of driving, alongside further changes.

What was rejected by the teams last year, though, was a reduction in peak electrical energy to just above half the current rate, which would have increased the reliance on internal combustion power.

However, with the cars having proven to be quicker than expected at this stage of the regulations and energy generation is lower, Tombazis confirmed that has created “a bit more of a challenge” on track.

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With all the new changes coming into effect from the Miami Grand Prix this weekend, Tombazis previously stated it was a case of evolution rather than revolution based on the early rounds.

As for whether or not further changes will be made in future, he predicts this may not be the last time the regulations are a topic of conversation.

“First of all, it is true that when you have a percentage of electrical to internal combustion energy and power of that ratio, that the whole energy management becomes more challenging,” Tombazis told PlanetF1.com and invited media.

“We knew that from day one of these regulations, and I think we’ve worked to mitigate a lot of these compromises.

“One of the reasons it hasn’t been right there from the start, is that the cars are going a bit faster, have found a bit more downforce than we were expecting, and therefore their energy recovered during braking is a bit lower than it would normally be, so we have a bit more of a challenge than we would have liked to have.

“We did propose the reduction of power about a year ago, and it was rejected. The point there was that we were going to wait for the first few races, which is what we did.

“Now, is that the final time we talk about it? I don’t think so. We will continue monitoring whether there will be extra additions that would have to be further discussed.

“That is not something we could do on the base of safety, and certainly wasn’t something we could do for Miami or for this year. So therefore, we decided to just have a bit of a look-see, to see the current changes, how they’ve coped, and then to review the matter.”

Additional reporting by Thomas Maher

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