{"id":577292,"date":"2026-03-31T23:27:09","date_gmt":"2026-03-31T23:27:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/577292\/"},"modified":"2026-03-31T23:27:09","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T23:27:09","slug":"formula-1-set-for-crunch-rules-meeting-over-controversial-2026-regulations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/577292\/","title":{"rendered":"Formula 1 set for crunch rules meeting over controversial 2026 regulations,"},"content":{"rendered":"

The controversy surrounding Formula 1\u2019s new rules will come to a head next week when the sport\u2019s powerbrokers meet to decide on possible changes to the category.<\/p>\n

The meeting had originally been planned for the fortnight between the Chinese and Japanese grands prix, but the cancellation of races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia in April meant the five-week break became a more logical moment to take stock.<\/p>\n

Max Verstappen has upped the stakes on the meeting by threatening to quit the sport if changes aren\u2019t made<\/a>, but some are calling for rule makers not to bow to the pressure from the four-time champion.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Fox Sports, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every practice, qualifying session and race in the 2026 FIA Formula One World Championship\u2122 LIVE in 4K. New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1.<\/a><\/p>\n

Meanwhile, at the back of the pack \u2014 the very back of the pack \u2014 Aston Martin ticked off an important but low-key milestone in its disastrous start to the season.<\/p>\n

F1 SETS DATE FOR CRUNCH MEETING<\/p>\n

Formula 1 has laid down a date for its crunch meeting about the new regulations that have Max Verstappen on the brink of quitting the sport.<\/p>\n

According to The Race, F1 bosses, team technical representatives and power unit manufacturers will convene on 9 April, during what would have been the week of the Bahrain Grand Prix, to thrash out potential solutions to the sport\u2019s various rules controversies.<\/p>\n

The source of tension is the new-for-2026 engine, which features an almost equal split between combustion and electrical energy. The massively increased hybrid element means drivers are constantly focused on keeping their batteries charged rather than driving as quickly as possible.<\/p>\n

The problems are particularly evident in qualifying, which no longer tests a driver\u2019s bravery but their precision in recharging the battery.<\/p>\n

Though overtaking has been boosted this year, this has also proved divisive, with some seeing the style of racing as artificial.<\/p>\n

Verstappen has been particularly outspoken about the regulations and at the Japanese Grand Prix revealed he was considering giving up the sport at the end of the season.<\/p>\n

PIT TALK PODCAST: Andrea Kimi Antonelli beats Oscar Piastri to victory at the Japanese Grand Prix on a big day for the Italian and a steadying one for the Australian and his McLaren team, while Max Verstappen says he\u2019s weighing up his future in Formula 1 over the sport\u2019s controversial 2026 regulations.<\/p>\n

The biggest issues will be complex to solve given the competing interests of the teams, some of which \u2014 most obviously Mercedes \u2014 is enjoying great success in the new regulatory era thanks to its class-leading engine.<\/p>\n

But it will also involve considerable compromises given it will be impossible to totally redesign the engine formula.<\/p>\n

Instead manufacturers are tipped to reduce electrical power output and battery capacity. This will reduce or eliminate the need for drivers to actively charge their batteries and also reduce the risk of massive speed differences down the straights.<\/p>\n

However, it will also slow cars by several seconds per lap, making it something of a philosophical question.<\/p>\n

The Race has reported, however, that team will also consider a left-field aerodynamics-based solution to the battery problem.<\/p>\n

Teams are simulating whether it would be possible to allow drivers to use active aero whenever they want around the lap \u2014 that is, freely switch between low-downforce straight mode and high-downforce corner mode. Currently straight mode can be used at only FIA-defined parts of the track.<\/p>\n

Given straight-line mode can cut drag by up to 40 per cent \u2014 and therefore considerably reduce the strain on the battery \u2014 tweaking the aero rules could become integral to solving the power problem.<\/p>\n

Wholesale changes \u2014 such as boosting combustion power \u2014 are unlikely to come before 2027 but could be discussed next week.<\/p>\n

Safety car costs Piastri in Japan | 02:18<\/p>\n

DAMON HILL BACKS VERSTAPPEN TO QUIT<\/p>\n

A break from Formula 1 might do Max Verstappen good, according to 1996 world champion Damon Hill, after the Dutchman said he was contemplating quitting Formula 1 at the end of the season<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Verstappen has become rapidly disillusioned with Formula 1 thanks to the new rules, and he openly canvassed his options in a tell-all interview with the BBC on Sunday night in Japan.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m still trying, but the way that I am telling myself to give it 100 per cent I think is not very healthy at the moment because I am not enjoying what I\u2019m doing,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m trying. I keep telling myself every day to try and enjoy it. It\u2019s just very hard.\u201d<\/p>\n

Damon Hill, who retired from the sport at the end of 1999 citing a lack of enjoyment after eight years in the category, said the Dutchman should follow his gut.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think if you\u2019re not happy doing something, you should stop and do something else,\u201d he told the BBC<\/a>. \u201cYou\u2019re not obliged to do it.<\/p>\n

\u201cMax doesn\u2019t have to do this. He\u2019s a new dad as well, and he\u2019s been doing it for a long time. There does come a point where the chewing gum loses its flavour a bit. Maybe he needs a break.\u201d<\/p>\n

Verstappen has hinted that he would prefer not to have to make the decision to quit, saying that F1 organisers \u201cknow what to do\u201d to keep him engaged.<\/p>\n

Hill said if it was an attempt to influence the rule-making process, it was unlikely to work.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf he\u2019s saying this in order to get some leverage on the way things are at the moment, I don\u2019t think that will work,\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople will just say \u2018Max, go away, come back when you\u2019ve had a think about it\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can\u2019t always get what you want.\u201d<\/p>\n

Antonelli becomes youngest F1 leader | 01:25<\/p>\n

STROLL\u2019S BRUTAL ASTON JOKE AFTER ANOTHER DIRE WEEKEND<\/p>\n

Lance Stroll said he was enjoying racing teammate Fernando Alonso at the back of the pack before retiring with suspected water pressure issues at Honda\u2019s home Japanese Grand Prix.<\/p>\n

Stroll made it 30 laps into the grand prix before ending his day in the pit lane and is yet to record a classified finish in a grand prix this season.<\/p>\n

It was the culmination of another dire weekend for the Honda-powered Aston Martin team, which locked out the back row of the grid behind both Cadillac drivers.<\/p>\n

The team continued to lap well off the pace during the race, with Stroll cruelling quipping that he and Alonso were competing for their own exclusive title.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was having a fun race with Fernando in our own little championship, our own Aston Martin championship,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was enjoying the race even though we were slow and we were fighting for the last positions.<\/p>\n

\u201cSuzuka is always a nice track to drive, so I was enjoying my laps out there. It\u2019s a shame we couldn\u2019t make it to the end.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alonso made it to the chequered flag, albeit a lap down, for Aston Martin\u2019s first classified finish of the year. The Spaniard crossed the line 18th and half a minute behind Cadillac\u2019s Sergio P\u00e9rez.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are many boxes to tick in the team, and today I think completing the first race distance gave the team good information, good data, that we need to analyse and to improve,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe pace was not there any session on the weekend and was not there in the race either, so we need to improve in many areas.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alonso said the car was still vibrating, though it was less severe than it had been in China.<\/p>\n

Chief trackside officer Mike Krack said there was \u201cno celebration\u201d over the one-car finish but said the signs of progress were clear.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you look back, in Melbourne we discussed doing six laps, in Shanghai we managed two sessions, but we had a lot of work to be able to do all the sessions,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis was not the case here, so the cars could be prepared normally between the sessions.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur objective \u2014 it is a modest objective clearly \u2014 was to finish the race with both cars. We managed with one, so it\u2019s one small step on the list with many, many small steps to be done.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut as a team you cannot destroy yourself. We are in a difficult situation. We need to take the positives.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The controversy surrounding Formula 1\u2019s new rules will come to a head next week when the sport\u2019s powerbrokers…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":577293,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[573],"tags":[283169,283173,12295,1724,64,63,689,20211,936,234233,283164,2090,265937,512,283172,262498,18581,283163,26956,283161,9239,283171,51268,283167,817,845,813,816,22496,3875,2105,841,283166,272791,16200,242695,941,276217,281163,16201,2082,260445,825,647,39542,283170,677,283160,2119,220235,18895,239109,283165,250642,25598,14640,2072,4933,85,283162,248296,73217,283168,281170,660,283159,12000,2753],"class_list":["post-577292","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-formula-1","tag-active-aero","tag-aero-rules","tag-andrea-kimi-antonelli","tag-asia","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-australia-and-new-zealand","tag-back-to-back-wins","tag-bahrain","tag-battery-capacity","tag-battery-problem","tag-british-broadcasting-corporation","tag-chief-trackside-officer","tag-china","tag-classified-finish","tag-combustion-power","tag-crunch-meeting","tag-crunch-rule-meeting","tag-damon-hill","tag-dire-weekend","tag-eastern-asia","tag-electrical-power-output","tag-engine-formula","tag-exclusive-title","tag-f1","tag-fernando-alonso","tag-formula-1","tag-formula1","tag-four-time-champion","tag-george-russell","tag-getty-images-inc","tag-grand-prix","tag-high-downforce-corner-mode","tag-home-japanese","tag-honda-motor-company","tag-hybrid-element","tag-japan","tag-japanese-grands-prix","tag-lap-safety-car","tag-ltd","tag-mark-thompson","tag-massive-speed-differences","tag-max-verstappen","tag-melbourne","tag-mike-krack","tag-nice-track","tag-oceania","tag-one-car-finish","tag-pit-talk","tag-power-unit-manufacturers","tag-race-distance","tag-rule-makers","tag-rule-making-process","tag-rules-controversies","tag-safety-car","tag-saudi-arabia","tag-sergio-perez","tag-shanghai","tag-sports","tag-straight-mode","tag-straight-line-mode","tag-suzuka","tag-team-technical-representatives","tag-unlucky-safety-car","tag-victoria","tag-water-pressure-issues","tag-western-asia","tag-world-champion"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/577292","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=577292"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/577292\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/577293"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=577292"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=577292"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=577292"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}