Whilst Formula One continues to deny there is a mass fan revolution at the all-new hybrid cars and powertrains for 2026, the unanimous changes to the rules agreed last week suggest those in charge of the sport are indeed worried. In-season F1 regulation changes are on the whole restricted to issues of safety where the FIA may act in a unilateral fashion, yet the significant alterations to how the electrical energy will be managed were not imposed, but agreed by the teams, the FIA and F1.
One of the reasons for the sudden burst of paddock unity may have been due to the horrendous crash Oliver Bearman suffered in Japan. While he was deploying his electrical energy boost, he happened across the Alpine of Franco Colapinto recharging his battery – the closing speeds were frightening.
Bearman swerved instinctively to avoid his competitor, but this sent him into the barrier at high speed causing a 50g impact on the driver. It could be argued had the teams refused to agree to changes involving the closing speeds, the FIA would have implemented changes regardless.
Audi HUGE winners despite poor engine design
Yet the changes not only affect closing speeds but a significant number of other factors which are all part of F1’s new electrical era of racing. Some of these will advantage certain teams whilst others may favour others up and down the grid. Even so, on balance the changes will favour teams who have started poorly under the new regulations.
One of the most obvious is the new “Low power start detection system” which seeks to eliminate some of the massive discrepancies seen in the drivers’ getaways when the lights go out to start the race. Of course this too is a huge safety risk, if drivers are left almost stationary on the grid as others behind are accelerating to more than 120mph in split seconds.
Audi have suffered from this more than the rest of the field and at the most recent Grand Prix in Japan both drivers lost a cumulative 10 positions at the start of the first lap. The problem for Audi is based in the architecture decision they took when designing their V6 hybrid turbo which saw them maximise the size of the compressor to achieve higher top speeds.
Conversely Ferrari have opted for a small turbo propeller, due to the fact at the start only internal engine power is allowed until the cars reach 50kph. The smaller turbo spools up very quickly meaning it offers an acceleration boost to the driver as soon as he releases the clutch. By way of contrast, Audi’s turbo is said to take up to ten seconds to deliver its maximum boost.
Ferrari clever engineering nullified
The new rule will trigger an automatic deployment of electrical power if the systems detect the car is slow out of the blocks. This is clearly a disadvantage for Ferrari who invested heavily in the launch procedures. Besides Audi, Mercedes, Honda and Red Bull will also benefit from this rule change, given their efficiency models chose to focus on other aspects of lap time.
The irony for the Scuderia is that over a year ago they raised safety concerns about the proposed F1 start procedures, but were ignored by their competitors. Since then they invested heavily in engineering to ensure their car started well without electrical assistance, but now those who refused to listen will profit from their stubbornness.
Small comfort is that the rule changes will not completely obliterate the Ferrari advantage, but will reduce its effectiveness as others will now get away from the line in better order. Yet there are winners and losers from the other changes agreed, and Mercedes will suffer due to mitigation taken after Bearman’s crash.
To drive efficiency, the original racing rules for 2026 sought to reward the teams who could recover electrical energy better than their competitors. Mercedes are believed to lead the way in this respect. This meant the cars are restricted in the total amount of energy they can recover under harvesting and the phenomena of “super clipping” was born.
Efficient PU designs now mitigated
Super clipping is where the driver is pressing the throttle to the floor, but towards the end of a straight the car slows because the internal combustion engine begins to divert some of its power to recharge the depleted battery. With electrical energy recovery restricted to 250kW, this meant the super clipping could last as long as 8 seconds per lap.
This was responsible for the Bearman crash and the result is the recharge rate allowed has been upped a massive 40% to 350kW. This should reduce super clipping to around 3 seconds a lap. This will indeed benefit the teams with less efficient recovery systems and will most likely mitigate some of Mercedes’ advantage.
One other change which may have caused Piastri’s crash on the way to the grid in Australia will also impact the pecking order. The ‘low power mode’ activated by a driver who keeps his throttle above 98% for a second and reduces the waste of electrical energy has now been changed. No longer after that one second will the mode be deactivated to deploy the extra electrical boost.
This will favour teams with the more sophisticated energy deployment algorithms, who will now be allowed to ramp up the power in even more of a controlled fashion. Further works teams (Ferrari, Mercedes, Audi, Red Bull-Ford) have thousands of hours of simulator data integrating their specific power unit software with their aero maps. Customer teams (McLaren, Williams, Haas) will be “handed” these software updates late, making it much harder for them to optimizetheir chassis to the new “non-resetting” algorithm in time for the European season.
Is this F1’s new “|Balance of Power?”
By intervening mid-season to fix the “spectacle,” some argue the FIA is essentially applying a “Balance of Performance” (BoP) similar to Le Mans or GT3 racing. While this makes for closer TV viewing, it punishes the teams that did the best job during the R&D phase.
And all this is before a final decision is made by F1’s governing body, on which teams will qualify for the engine “catch up” programme, slated for “after the sixth round of racing in 2026” – which should have been post-Miami. Having lost Bahrain and the Saudi Grand Prix, the letter of the law means this should only kick in after Monaco in mid-June.
Honda are in desperate need of the allowance which will be awarded to engine manufacturers with a deficit of greater than 2% of the power of the leading engine. Throw into the mix, decisions on any changes to the engine architecture for 2027 must be made in a matter of weeks.
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Last Updated on April 27 2026, 10:57 am
The criticism of the racing spectacle offered by the all-new Formula 1 hybrid engines has been monumental, although some have reveled in what the drivers call ‘yo-yo’ overtaking. Such has been the calamity of the manufacturers’ decision to push for F1 power units that deliver 50/50 power from the battery and the internal combustion engine that, after just three rounds of competition, changes to the regulations were unanimously agreed.
While the headline is that the 50/50 power units are now dead, given the reduction in the maximum amount of electrical power now allowed, there are subtleties within the changes that will fix some of the most ridiculous aspects of 2026 Grand Prix racing.
After the latest round in Japan, Lando Norris shockingly revealed his car had taken control of proceedings as he dueled with Lewis Hamilton for fifth place in Suzuka. The world champion had decided his best moment to overtake was after the high-speed 130R corner and after the chicane along the start-finish straight. Yet his MCL41 had other ideas…..CONTINUE READING
With over 30 years of experience in Formula 1 as an insider journalist, I have built trusted connections across the paddock, from race engineers and mechanics to senior team figures. At The Judge 13, I and a handful of trusted colleagues share exclusive Formula 1 news, expert analysis and behind-the-scenes stories you will not find in mainstream motorsport media.
A.J. Hunt is Senior Editor at TJ13 and a career journalist with experience in both print and digital sports media. Having trained in investigative journalism and contributed to several European sports outlets, Hunt brings rigour and polish to every article. His role is to sharpen analysis, check facts and ensure TJ13’s daily output meets the highest editorial standards.
