Williams driver Carlos Sainz has been one of the most prominent critics of Formula 1’s current technical regulations. However, the Spaniard now indicates he intends to dial back his negative public rhetoric, despite still harbouring significant concerns about the state of the sport.
Leading up to the Miami Grand Prix, the FIA implemented specific adjustments regarding how electrical energy is harvested and deployed during both qualifying and race sessions. These “tweaks” were primarily designed to enhance safety by eliminating massive speed disparities between cars with differing battery charge levels. Additionally, there was an official acknowledgment that the previous settings were preventing drivers from pushing to the absolute limit during qualifying sessions.
Drivers have repeatedly complained that they can’t push flat out through corners any more because the electrical energy deployment they use during this phase of racing punishes them when they hit the subsequent straight.
Further, Lando Norris reported in Japan that his McLaren MCL40 decided all on its own to overtake Lewis Hamilton through the iconic 130R corner. The world champion preferred to wait until after the chicane before the start/finish line, yet the algorithms decided for the driver what was best.
FIA updated weather protocols in Miami
“Honestly some of the racing, I didn’t even want to overtake Lewis. It’s just that my battery deploys, I don’t want it to deploy, but I can’t control it. So, I overtake him, and then I have no battery left, so he just flies past,” Norris revealed after the race in the paddock.
The FIA update also addressed wet-weather protocols. The FIA altered power deployment parameters for wet conditions and increased tire blanket temperatures for intermediate tires from 60°C to 70°C. While the general consensus among the paddock is that these updates move the needle in the right direction, many believe they fall short of fully resolving the fundamental issues raised by the grid.
The main aim for the FIA was to resolve the debacle that qualifying has become, where the drivers are not able to push flat out for one lap. They are playing strategic chess games with their energy management systems as the algorithms work out the optimum way to deliver the best lap time.
In terms of how effective the FIA changes have been, Williams driver Carlos Sainz had this to say. “Not for qualifying,” Sainz remarked following the race in Miami. “I think for qualifying, there is still a long way to go. As I said, I’m not going to criticise it anymore. I’m just trying to be productive and continue insisting that this is not good enough for F1. But it seems like, at the very least, the racing was a bit better.”
Race start brought forward despite broadcaster needs
One significant improvement in Miami was in the way the FIA and race control operate when severe weather warnings are issued. The Grand Prix on Sunday was brought forward three hours to avoid predicted thunderstorms and lightning.
Compare this to the fateful weekend in Japan back in 2014 when Jules Bianchi was fatally injured during the rand Prix held in the eye of a typhoon storm. In the days leading up to the race, there were multiple opportunities to move the start time forward to avoid the worst of the typhoon’s rain and the fading light. However, several factors prevented this.
FOM (Formula One Management) was hesitant to move the start time earlier because a mid-morning start in Japan would have been extremely early for the core European television audience (around 3:00 AM or 4:00 AM). Maintaining the 3:00 PM local start time was prioritised to protect global viewership figures.
Further, the 396 page long report delivered by the FIA in the months following the Bioanchi tfajegy revealed that on at least two occasions before race day in Japan, the FIA had offered the organisers the option of bringing forward the start of the race – but they declined. Not such option was afforded to the Miami promoters and the race started three hours earlier than billed – something Carlos Sainz praised.
F1 qualifying absurdities remain
“I think the FIA this weekend, also listening to the weather concerns with the intermediate tyres—you cannot fault them. I think they’ve done a brilliant job. Everyone seems to be working in the same direction now. We just need to convince a few [power unit] manufacturers that this is still not the standard everyone should have in qualifying, and we need to keep improving.”
A primary grievance regarding the current qualifying format is that drivers feel restricted in corners. Pushing at maximum effort through turns depletes electrical energy too rapidly, leaving them vulnerable on the straights. Drivers essentially feel penalised for driving fast, as a software algorithm dictates the optimal lap time—a template from which they cannot easily deviate.
Furthermore, a persistent absurdity involved the start of a flying lap. Previously, drivers could not take the final corner at full throttle because doing so would “spend” essential energy needed for the timed lap. This forced drivers to spend hours in the simulator practicing “optimal throttle positions”—often around 50%—just to start a lap correctly.
Albon notes sportsmanship gave him no reward
While the Miami tweaks were intended to fix this, several drivers still encountered deployment glitches. Sainz’s Williams teammate, Alex Albon, felt the sting of these technical quirks during a qualifying session where he ended up 15th. Albon had backed off the throttle on the straight to allow a charging Sainz to pass, which inadvertently confused his car’s energy management software.
“The battery likes to be in a certain position, and the software likes to be in a certain position when starting a lap,” Albon explained. “When you go down the back straight, there is a lot of stuff you need to do to optimise it and ensure the car is ‘happy.’ It’s possible to do, but when you have to let cars past before the last corner, you aren’t doing exactly the right thing at every moment.”
Albon noted that his attempt to be sportsmanlike ultimately cost him. “It’s funny because looking back at it, by me letting Carlos past and backing off, I compromised my own lap. You try to be nice and get out of the way, but by doing that, you over-harvest and essentially ruin your own start. I think I lost four-tenths into Turn 1; you’re starting on the back foot immediately.”
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