Formula One CEO Stefano Domenicali recently claimed that the fans are enjoying the racing created by the all-new 2026 regulations more than they were last season. Yet the drivers are united to a man that they are creating artificial racing and less flat-out competition.
Energy Management Over Driving Skill
With the big increase in electrical power this year, drivers have become energy management experts rather than flat-out racing drivers. To compensate for the difficulty in deciding where and when to deploy the limited battery power, manufacturers have introduced self-learning computer algorithms to calculate the most efficient use of hybrid power.
The Suzuka Incident: Norris Forced to Overtake
At the Japanese Grand Prix, Lando Norris was lining up an overtake on Lewis Hamilton in his Ferrari ahead. He had decided to wait until after the final chicane before using his electrical boost to overtake the Ferrari.
Yet on the run down to the chicane, his McLaren MCL40 surprised him with a surge of power and he was forced to make the move on Hamilton earlier than he wished. “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. This is not racing, this is yo-yoing,” bemoaned the world champion after the race.
Algorithmic Disparities Between Teammates
At times, drivers from the same team with nigh-on identical setups to their teammates have expressed bemusement at why they are failing to match their teammate through the speed gun. This has been an issue George Russell has complained about several times, and it appears it is down to the self-learning nature of the computer algorithms.
McLaren’s team principal referred to this phenomenon after qualifying for the Austrian Grand Prix, where Oscar Piastri was significantly slower than his teammate along the straight. Andrea Stella implied in his evening media session that the differential was being caused by the “self-learning elements” of the powertrain.
Should a driver deviate from the optimum energy deployment strategy on a particular lap, the computer will recalculate a new optimum deployment for the rest of the lap. Yet the computer analysis doesn’t take into account how a driver is racing against a rival and how their energy depletion may have already taken place.
Breach of the “Unaided Driver” Rule?
As TJ13 observed earlier this season, this new aspect of F1 racing does not fulfill one of the FIA’s fundamental sporting regulations, which states: “The driver must drive the car alone and unaided.” While the algorithms respond to the variety of inputs made by the driver, there are external factors—such as gusts of wind and changing grip levels—which the algorithm cannot take into account.
At Spa, Oscar Piastri bemoaned the fact that his car had deployed electrical energy when he specifically didn’t want it to do so. “It sucks. I can’t really say it any other way than that. When you’ve got qualifying grids decided by computers behaving or misbehaving, it’s a pretty crap way of going racing.”
The FIA’s Stance and Future Rebalancing
Yet all is well apparently in the eye-wateringly expensive Paddock Club and on TikTok and the various other forms of social media F1 has embraced as its bellwether. The head of day-to-day operations at the FIA, Nikolas Tombazis, has now spoken on the issue of the algorithms, yet his observations appear confused on the matter.
He claims the drivers’ complaints are the result of the fact that electrical energy is limited, making the question of how to deploy it critical in terms of lap time and race pace. This, he reasons, is the very reason the algorithms are in fact required. Although he makes the bizarre prediction that when battery power is reduced to an even more limited resource in future seasons, the problem will become mostly resolved.
“When you have a big electrical part and you don’t rely on having a full battery at the start, energy management is important,” he said. “I think Oscar is a very intelligent driver, but I think he’s actually seeing what he feels is currently prevailing. I think when we go to the rebalancing [reducing the amount of electrical energy], I believe it will be a step better. Will it be eliminated completely? No, but I do think it will be a step better.”
Anatomy of an Automated Overtake
Returning to the Lando Norris computer-enforced overtake at Suzuka, this is exactly what happened. As the McLaren driver lifted to prevent the overtake before the chicane, the computer put his car into electrical regeneration mode—or harvesting.
When Norris then put some input into the accelerator to maintain the distance to the Ferrari ahead, the system exited harvesting mode and returned to its pre-decided deployment state. The computer may have interpreted the lift as Norris taking the chicane and so went into maximum override mode, as was planned for the front straight.
The problem is that the driver cannot decide to merely request power from the internal combustion engine—which Norris would have done. Instead, the computer decided it was time for full electrical deployment mode.
Why Banning Algorithms Isn’t an Option
When asked whether these algorithms should simply be banned by the FIA, Tombazis was adamant this would not help the situation. “I don’t think you could go to that extreme,” he said. “First of all, if it was just really on-off for the driver whenever they want and as much as they like, then they would use all energy on corner exit for a very limited amount of time. And then the effects that people are complaining about would be even more obvious.”
The “effects” to which he refers is the “yo-yo” racing which was extreme earlier in the season, and the sight of a car slowing dramatically—out of battery—long before the braking point on a straight. So the algorithms in effect deceive the viewer as to what is going on. They think the driver is in control of racing decisions, but he’s not.
A Problem Born of Manufacturer Demands
Rather than solve the problem at its source—i.e., slash the contribution of the hybrid to around just 30% of total power—the FIA appears to prefer the current algorithm solution. That said, Tombazis does admit this is all the result of the manufacturers’ insistence on the current specification of the F1 power units. “It is complicated, no doubt, and it’s more complicated than we would like, absolutely, 100 percent, I fully agree with them [the drivers],” he said. “But I think this is a consequence of the basic core issue.”
So whilst the FIA is the sole regulator of Formula One, it is unable to make necessary rule changes to improve the racing given the power of the manufacturers.
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The Judge, a nom de plume of an experienced F1 journalist and site founder with long-standing sources across the paddock. 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, where Andrew oversees editorial standards and contributes to the site’s Formula 1 coverage. A career journalist with experience in both print and digital sports media, Andrew trained in investigative journalism and has written for a range of European sports outlets.
At TJ13, Andrew plays a central role in shaping the site’s output, working across breaking news, analysis, and long-form features. Andrew’s responsibilities include fact-checking, refining editorial structure, and ensuring consistency in reporting across a fast-moving news cycle.
Andrew’s work focuses particularly on the intersection of Formula 1 politics, regulation, and team strategy. Andrew closely follows developments involving the FIA, team leadership, and driver market dynamics, helping to provide context behind the sport’s biggest stories.
With experience covering multiple seasons of Formula 1’s modern hybrid era, Andrew has developed a detailed understanding of how regulatory changes and competitive shifts influence the grid. Andrew’s editorial approach prioritises clarity and context, aiming to help readers navigate complex developments within the sport.
In addition to editorial duties, Andrew is particularly interested in how media narratives shape fan perception of Formula 1, and how reporting can balance speed with accuracy in an increasingly digital news environment.
