The FIA has revealed that a survey was conducted amid serious criticisms from drivers over the new F1 regulations for the 2026 season.
The F1 Commission met on Wednesday, 18 February at the Bahrain International Circuit, which is hosting the second official pre-season test ahead of the campaign opening Australian Grand Prix.
The motorsport governing body confirmed "refinements to the 2026 Formula 1 Regulations were agreed and will now be referred to the World Motor Sport Council for final approval."
A statement from the FIA on the feedback derived from the driver survey is below. The article continues underneath.
Feedback on 2026 Formula 1 Regulations
In common with the introduction of such significant regulatory changes, there are still collective learnings to be taken from pre-season testing. As a group – the teams, the power unit manufacturers, FIA and Formula One Management (FOM) – there was a commitment to work through all technical aspects ahead of the opening race of the 2026 season in Melbourne next month.
Constructive discussion took place among all the teams following initial feedback from drivers arising from a survey instigated by the FIA. Topics covered include overall car characteristics, energy and power unit, aerodynamics, overtaking and racing, tyres and mechanical grip.
Positive feedback from drivers was received on the reduced weight and smaller dimensions of the 2026 cars. Divers generally agreed that the new car exhibited improved ride quality and stronger initial acceleration.
Further evaluation and technical checks on energy management matters will be carried out over the following three days at the second pre-season test in Bahrain.
It was agreed that no immediate major regulatory changes were required given that initial evidence and feedback remains immature and that premature change carried the risk of increased instability ahead of the first race. Further reviews will be carried out once more data becomes available.
There were constructive talks and proposals centred on the race start procedure during the commission meeting. As a result, further evaluation of updates to race systems and on-car management will be undertaken during the current Bahrain test.
Points of contention
Whilst the changes to the chassis rules have been well received by drivers, there has been widespread dissatisfaction over the new power units.
In particular, energy management and race starts are areas of concern. Although it is still very early in the regulations cycle, worries over the safety of the latter point could trigger changes before the first race in Melbourne.
In short, the drivers have to spool the turbos in the hybrid power units for up to 10 seconds on the line before launch, and the process is generally much more involved and complicated than before.
The fear is that this will lead to multiple cars stalling on the grid, drastically increasing the risk of unsighted collisions from behind.
There were also conversations around the potential to increase the sprint calendar from the current six rounds up to 12, which would be half the F1 calendar.
"There were discussions around the possibility of increasing the Sprint events up to 12 based on the demand for Sprints from fans and promoters," the FIA statement also confirmed.
This will not take effect for 2026, but is with a view to increasing the number of sprints from 2027 onwards.
Also interesting:
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