FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem speaks out ahead of key F1 rules meeting.
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| F1 is holding a series of key meetings about the 2026 rules |
FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has praised the “invaluable input” from Formula 1 drivers ahead of a crunch meeting about potential rule changes.
F1’s key stakeholders, including team principals and chief executives, are meeting with governing body the FIA on Monday with the aim of thrashing out solutions for tweaks to the much-maligned 2026 regulations.
A near 50-50 split between combustion and electrical power has placed greater emphasis on energy management and led to criticism from both drivers and fans during the opening three rounds of the season.
F1 is utilising the enforced five-week break without racing following the cancellation of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian grands prix due to the Iran War to discuss possible changes to the rules.
It is hoped that agreement on improvements will be reached during Monday’s latest meeting. Any proposed changes would then be put forward for final approval at a World Motor Sport Council (WMSC) e-vote ahead of the Miami Grand Prix on 3 May.
Ahead of Monday’s key meeting, FIA president Ben Sulayem hailed input from the drivers.
"I am delighted to report that there has been constructive and collaborative discussion between the FIA and the Formula 1 drivers ahead of tomorrow’s CEOs and team principals meeting to discuss potential changes to the 2026 Regulations,” he said in a social media post.
"The drivers have provided invaluable input on adjustments which they feel should be made, particularly in the areas of energy management to ensure safe, fair and competitive racing.
"The FIA has also held a series of meetings over the past few weeks with technical representatives from the teams, power unit manufacturers and FOM to discuss proposed changes. Safety and the best interests of the sport are the main focus of these discussions.
"Following the meeting tomorrow, the final proposals will be put before a FIA WMSC e-vote.”
Speaking to media including Crash.net last week, George Russell revealed the main problem areas drivers hope can be addressed.
"I think the two headline points are flat-out qualifying, so no lift and coast, and then reducing the closing speeds,” the Mercedes driver said.
"The closing speed of the Bearman-Colapinto crash was twofold. One, of course Bearman was on his boost button and giving himself 350kW, so he had an abundance of power in an abnormal part of the track. And, on the flip side, Colapinto used his boost on the main straight the half a lap before, and was low on his battery, so he had a lack of power.
"So that is, at least in my eyes, where these closing speed differences are coming from and I think the FIA are definitely very much aware of that. From the drivers' perspective, just looking to reduce that closing speed in abnormal areas, and especially in non-SM [Straight Mode].
“If there's a straight that isn't an SM mode, that means it's because it's a corner and of course the Bearman crash was in a non-SM part of the track. So I think we're all aligned on those points.”
Russell added: "There's a lot of low-hanging fruit. For example, the minus 350 kilowatts super clip is a no-brainer, and that already in itself is going to avoid a lot of lift-and-coast, having the minus 350 kilowatt super clip.
"And there's other small parts of the regulation that say you can only de-rate the engine at a certain rate. So on a very short straight, there isn't enough time to go from 350 kilowatts to a super clip because the straight is too short.
“Some small changes around these regulations will have a major improvement for the overall driving experience."
- Lewis Larkam
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