Tom Cary
April 21, 2026 — 9:50am
Formula 1 has bowed to driver pressure by signing off on nine immediate “refinements” to this season’s controversial new regulations, with further tweaks to be tested at next week’s race in Miami.
It remains to be seen, however, whether the changes go any way to appeasing fans unhappy with the sport’s direction of travel.
Oscar Piastri and Kimi Antonelli will resume their F1 season’s with slightly different cars. Getty Images F1’s new 50-50 electric-hybrid era has proved hugely controversial in the two months of the season to date. The opening three races in Australia, China and Japan featured hundreds of overtakes.
Yet, many felt the racing was artificial, with overtaking cheapened by the use of “boost” buttons and drivers constantly having to recharge their batteries to “harvest” energy, sometimes involuntarily.
Formula 1 had already indicated before the race in Suzuka that it would use the cancellation of rounds four and five in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia – because of the conflict in the Middle East – as an opportunity to review the regulations and look at possible tweaks.
A major crash involving British driver Ollie Bearman in Japan made changes inevitable. Drivers were incensed after the Briton had to take evasive action at 190mph to avoid the Alpine of Franco Colapinto, slamming into the barriers with a force of 50G.
A tweaked Formula 1 field will resume racing in Miami. Getty Images Williams’s Carlos Sainz accused governing body the FIA of ignoring repeated warnings that such a crash might occur because of the way the batteries harvest and deploy power. “Here we’re lucky there was an escape road,” the Spaniard added. “Now imagine going to Baku, or Singapore, or Vegas [all street circuits], and having these kinds of closing speeds next to the walls.”
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