F1’s Desperate Attempt to Rescue the 2026 Season

Added: 2026-05-05

[00:00:00]the F1 audience potentially falling out of love with the sport.

[00:00:02]>> F1 definitely learns very quickly.

[00:00:05]>> The 2026 Formula 1 season is embarrassing. Teams are demanding change.

[00:00:10]>> They're staring into the void.

[00:00:13]>> Drivers are threatening to leave.

[00:00:14]>> The current regulations are not uh helping the the longevity of my career in Formula 1.

[00:00:19]>> And one crash has changed everything.

[00:00:21]>> Drivers complaining because they're not used to driving cars like this and they're having to relearn the way in which they drive. Now, the FIA are looking at six new rule changes to save the sport before Miami. I've been scrolling through social media and looking at your comments, and the biggest complaint I've seen is the 50/50 engine split, but changing it mid-season is impossible and absolutely a last resort. So, it most likely won't happen for 2026, but it is definitely on the table for 2027. Since the start of the hybrid era, the engine has been doing the heavy lifting by providing the bulk of the engine power. But in 2026, it has been nerfed. When cars ran out of battery in previous years, it was just a little annoyance. But now they lose around 500 horsepower.

[00:01:06]So the FIA are considering an idea to increase the fuel flow limit. The current rules dictate just how much fuel can be pumped into the engine every second. But if you allow more in, you get a bigger explosion and more horsepower. But the problem with implementing this in 2026 is that these engines are highly sensitive and specifically designed to operate at specific limits. What everyone is hoping for is that the FIA does increase the fuel flow for 2027, giving teams more time to design new engines. It still doesn't solve the problems we have right now, but it could prevent the sport from tanking by 2027. Engine providers like Mercedes and Ferrari will need to design stronger engines. But with these two teams dominating, we could even see them fighting against these new rules entirely. But as the engineers argue over engine blocks and fuel flow for the future, the FIA need to find speed down the straight right now. Active Arero was the FIA's idea to take DRS to the next level. Instead of just having the rear wing open, the cars now also open the front wing. I still think that's super satisfying. Just like when you hit that subscribe button, but just like DRS, it's limited to specific zones. It works just like DRS with a button the driver can push to open the wings while it slams shut under brain. But unlike DRS, the driver doesn't need to be within 1 second of the car in front to activate this. Wherever they reach the zone, they can automatically open the wings and reduce drag by up to 40%. One of the suggestions is to remove these zones and allow drivers to activate them when they like. This opens up a gray area for engineers. Instead of designing cars for those specific active aero zones, they can now design chassis with dynamic setups. Ferrari has already played around with this in testing when they designed the Macarena wing. It also means that the battle for aerodynamic efficiency once again becomes important.

[00:02:40]And instead of just focusing on software updates, new aero packages can make all the difference. But most importantly, it could make racing interesting again. We might get to see who is willing to keep their wing open the longest. Or it might just be disastrous and lead to even more crashes when drivers don't have enough downforce in the corners.

[00:03:03]But freeing up at the active arrow could allow drivers to save battery in between different zones like that turn 10 and 11 section in Shanghai. It's more risky but comes with a lot of reward. And finally, drivers like Max can actually make the difference again. But freeing up the arrow doesn't matter if the driver can't control the car, but has to spend most of the time managing complex algorithms.

[00:03:21]I mean, just look at a Formula 1 steering wheel. There are buttons for everything. The driver is thinking about what button to press more than they're focused on racing. So, the suggestion is that the FIA simplify computer algorithms and give the power back to the driver's right foot. But let me back up a bit and explain. The modern F1 car has hundreds of sensors.

[00:03:39]>> Well, if we take the total amount of data generated over the weekend by the car, including video and all sorts of ancillary information, it's probably close to a terabyte or or even a bit more per car.

[00:03:49]>> But with the new rules, which are so complicated that even team principles don't understand them, teams have relied on computer algorithms to manage what power is deployed. Basically, the computer tells the engineer where the car should deploy battery power and the engine is mapped to make this possible.

[00:04:02]The problem is that every team is doing this and we have a situation where all 22 cars are deploying energy at the same spot. It wasn't such a big problem in the first two races. So, we got those yo-yo overtakes, but now everyone is using similar mapping and we just get cars following each other in deployment.

[00:04:17]What's even worse is that the FIA regulates some of these algorithms, specifically the ramp down when the car exits a corner. Currently, the driver needs to keep the throttle at 98% or more for 1 second to enter ramp down mode. And if they fail, the entire process restarts. Look back at Charlotte during sprint qualifying at the Chinese Grand Prix. Llair was on a flatout lap.

[00:04:36]Then coming out on a fast corner, his Ferrari lost grip in the rip on through 11, but they're just struggling to get on power. Quickly lifted his foot off the gas pedal by just a tiny fraction for a split second. The car stabilized and he got back on the throttle. We call it a brilliant safe, but the computer algorithm didn't see a safe. The computer only saw that the gas pedal lifted past the 98% threshold. The second LLair lifted to save the slide, the computer permanently cut the electrical battery power. When he put his foot back down, he had no speed left. His qualifying lap was completely ruined. Not by a mistake, but by a line of code that didn't understand the context of the situation. This is what Max calls anti-racing. The solution is to simplify the coding algorithms. And instead of having a computer control what a driver can and cannot do, let them make the decisions. It sounds good on paper, but they have to get rid of these hungry batteries as well. Since the hybrid engines were introduced in 2014, the rule has always been that more is better. Recover as much energy as possible and then dump it. But the 2026 rules have pushed this too far.

[00:05:36]Originally, the cars were required to harvest and use 9 megaj of energy per lap. It worked in Australia, even though we noticed it sounded. I mean, just listen to George lo at the iconic turn 11 at Albert Park or Kimmy in turn one.

[00:05:57]So after China, the FIA realized that's just too much. So they cut it to 8 mega for quali in Suzuka. But here's what they missed. Suzuka is a traditional track. It has that insane S's section and the iconic 130R. the line in 130 words and Lono having none of it straight around the outside.

[00:06:14]>> Even at 8 mega, they couldn't prevent cars from super clipping and doing lift and coast into high-speed corners. So, the next step is to reduce it even more with 6 mega being thrown into the hat.

[00:06:24]It is still more than the capacity of the battery, but it brings us much closer to the racing of 2025. I'll get to that in a second. When we get to Miami, aggressive lift and coast might be a thing of the past, and drivers can drive the car as hard as possible. But here's the trade-off. Cars have less battery to deploy each lap, and the engine is still only producing 550 horsepower. So, if Max was complaining about the cars being 2 seconds slower per lap in Melbourne, he might have to settle for 5 seconds slower in Miami.

[00:06:50]The FIA argues that fans would much rather watch a driver push a slightly slower car at the absolute edge. Instead of driving the fastest car in the world, like a Prius, trying to save gas. But even with the battery usage reduced, cars are still super clipping. And the FIA wants a supercharger. You're probably tired of the phrase super clipping. It's been stuffed down our throats since parane testing.

[00:07:10]>> These cars and engines uh battery like it's all super sensitive to your inputs.

[00:07:15]Yeah, it's just it's just changing a lot every time that you go out. Sometimes you don't even understand why it's so sensitive or you know. So, >> thanks to the new 50/50 split and power deployment, a driver first needs to go slower to go faster. Before these regulations, the cars use the MGUH and the MGUK to charge the battery. But with the MGUH stripped, all the battery recovery now falls to the MGUK, which is directly attached to the crankshaft, the engine block. How it works is simple.

[00:07:41]Whenever the car hits the brakes, it generates kinetic energy that charges the battery for deployment. But here's the catch. The current battery can only hold 4 megajou of power, while the car can deploy up to 9 mega per lap. So basically, the battery drains too fast, and the cars need to constantly harvest.

[00:07:57]The most efficient and mathematically reliable way to do this is through lift and coast. So instead of breaking at the last possible second to maximize corner entry, the driver now lifts off the throttle, sometimes up to 200 m before the braking marker. During this coasting phase, the physical resistance of the MGUK dragging on the rear axle acts as a generator, which feeds the power back into the battery. This whole process is really efficient for engineers, but for fans and drivers, it kind of kills the sport. I mean, who wants to see Kimmy coasting on a qualifying lap through the most satisfying section of Suzuka? It makes the car sound like and completely takes away the risk. Instead of making up those extra few tents in the corners, drivers treat them like high-speed charging stations. Alonzo even called it that.

[00:08:42]>> The most frustrating part is how sluggish these cars can look at the end of straits. And why you haven't really seen any overtakes this season into heavy breaking zones. Max showed this in Japan. Instead of overtaking Gazzley, he just stuck behind the LP, stating that if he overtakes into a breaking zone, he just gets repassed on the next straight.

[00:08:58]>> It was just very hard to pass. I mean I could pass but then I would get repassed straight away because my battery would be empty.

[00:09:03]>> But to combat this super clipping has been introduced and it is basically a complex engine mapping strategy where the internal combustion engine is forced to produce more horsepower than the car needs to move forward at that moment.

[00:09:15]The excess power generated by the burning fuel is diverted into the battery to charge it. And we get those moments where it sounds like the car just lost full power.

[00:09:26]After the embarrassment of Suzuka, the FIA wanted to change it. Currently, the rule caps the car to harvest no more than 250 kW during super clipping. And if a driver combines this with lift and coast, they can harvest 350 kW. So, Lico is more efficient and gives more energy in a shorter time. That's why you see so much lift and coasting. Now, the FIA want to fix this by bumping the super clipping limit up to 350 kW, matching the harvesting power of lifting coast.

[00:09:50]In theory, they won't have any reason to lift and coast and carry more speed into break-in zones and late breaking might return. And down the inside GOES DANNY RICARDO. WHAT A MOVE FROM THE AUSTRALIAN.

[00:10:01]>> It fixes the throttle pedal, but that's only half the battle. Quali's been another pain for drivers where it's no longer the fastest driver that gets pole. To make a qualifying lap fill and look faster, the regulations must actually limit the peak electrical power of the car and smooth out the deployment curve. This sounds absolutely stupid and backwards. I mean, F1 is where cars used to push with everything they have until the engine blows out.

[00:10:23]>> And it's Flame. OH, AND MAXEL'S OFF.

[00:10:25]>> NOW, they need to limit power usage just to get the fastest lap. But when you look at the physics of aerodynamic drag at extreme speeds, it all makes sense.

[00:10:32]Think about sticking your hand out of the window of your car at 60 mph. You feel the wind pushing back against your hand. Now, imagine doing that at 220 mph. Under the current rules, drivers were told to deploy 100% of their electrical power once they hit the straight. The car would gain an extra 350 kW of power and rock it up to 220 mph in seconds. Unfortunately, that drag drains the battery incredibly fast. So, halfway down the straight, the battery dies. That's almost 500 horsepower gone.

[00:10:59]And the current engines aren't strong enough to push through the resistance, even when the driver goes flat out. They basically become a passenger in their car. But it is also really dangerous. If the car in front runs out of battery and slows down, but the car behind still has battery left, you get a 30 mph speed difference in a split second. No, he got onto the grass. No, >> that's a hard hit. That's a big one.

[00:11:22]>> So, to prevent another Bman incident, the FIA wants to automatically reduce the electrical power even before the car reaches top speed. It limits how much battery the car can use and prevents it from suddenly just losing power.

[00:11:33]Basically, cars will be pacing themselves like a marathon runner.

[00:11:36]Nothing is set in stone, but you can bet teams like Mercedes might argue against these new rules. But drivers are pissed and fans are canceling their F1 subscriptions faster than an F1 car goes through 130R. Just look at this video to see what the drivers are saying. And as always, thanks for watching.