F1 to review engine energy management after China

(GMM) Formula 1’s governing body will hold formal discussions with teams after the Chinese GP on possible changes to the 2026 energy management regulations, FIA single-seater racing director Nikolas Tombazis (pictured) has confirmed.

Several options are understood to be on the table, including increasing the power of the ‘superclipping’ function – which allows cars to recover energy at full throttle – to make battery charging less restrictive.

Reducing the permitted electrical power output, which would allow drivers to maintain boost levels for longer, is also being considered, as is increasing combustion engine power.

A decision could come as early as the Japanese GP at Suzuka at the end of March.

“The teams unanimously agreed to stick to the current arrangements for the first few races and to revisit the issue when we have more data,” Tombazis said.

“We have several proposals that we didn’t want to reveal until the first race and plan to discuss with the teams after China.”

The Melbourne opener laid bare the scale of the problem, with drivers including Max Verstappen, Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton all publicly describing the new cars as fundamentally flawed. Verstappen was particularly scathing in a drivers’ briefing with the FIA during the Melbourne weekend, though he was irritated when details of his remarks leaked to the media.

Adding to the pressure on F1’s management, Corriere dello Sport reported that the sport’s official social media accounts have been deleting negative fan comments about the Melbourne race and the new regulations, leaving only positive responses visible.

Even milder comments describing the race as “one of the most boring I’ve ever seen” were reportedly removed.