Liam Lawson feels changes for safety should be paramount as part of the F1 2026 rule tweaks, alongside how qualifying takes shape.<\/p>\n
The FIA has announced adjustments to the regulations over a race weekend with both safety and qualifying in mind, which will take effect for the first time at the Miami Grand Prix next weekend.<\/p>\n
Liam Lawson prioritises safety in 2026 F1 rule changes<\/p>\n
Want more PlanetF1.com coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google<\/a> to your favourites list for news you can trust.<\/p>\n A common complaint among drivers over the first three races of the season the seeming inability to push flat-out over the course of a qualifying lap, given the presence of super-clipping.<\/p>\n The teams, along with the FIA, FOM and power unit manufacturers, have sought to address that by both reducing the permitted amount of energy regeneration over the course of a lap<\/a>, to reduce the need for lift-and-coast driving, alongside an increase in peak super-clipping power, to lessen the time it takes for batteries to recharge.<\/p>\n Safety changes around race starts have also been taken into consideration. Lawson bogged down on the start line at the Australian Grand Prix, with only quick reflexes from Franco Colapinto stopping a massive accident on the start\/finish straight.<\/p>\n Further tweaks such as a cap on power available in \u2018Boost Mode\u2019 looks to address high closing speeds between the cars in race trim, with a huge crash for Oliver Bearman having taken place at Suzuka last time out.<\/p>\n Lawson<\/a> hopes to avoid a repeat of that kind of incident, and with rule adjustments set to come into play in Miami, he acknowledged the regulations are still in an extremely early stage, but wishes for cars which feel \u201cnicer to drive\u201d in the interim.<\/p>\n Asked on his view of how the 2026 regulations could evolve prior to this week\u2019s announcement, Lawson told PlanetF1.com and others: \u201cHonestly, I really don\u2019t know.<\/p>\n More on Liam Lawson from PlanetF1.com<\/p>\n Liam Lawson revival leads Racing Bulls charge as Arvid Lindblad shows early promise<\/a><\/p>\n Liam Lawson reveals why car setup is no longer F1\u2019s priority<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cAt the end of the day, there are always going to be things that we want from the car. I mean, as racing drivers, we complain about everything, literally. So I think that\u2019ll never change.<\/p>\n \u201cBut I think on the regulation side, I think the biggest thing right now is probably the the safety aspect of it, especially with what we saw in Japan, and I think that\u2019s something that we know we want to avoid, obviously, in the future, going forwards.<\/p>\n \u201cOn the performance side, that\u2019s something that obviously will always evolve. You know, if you look at the other regulations, the start of it, there\u2019s been a huge development over there for the five-year process that the regulations have been out, so I\u2019m sure these will obviously evolve and get faster.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sure we\u2019ll find ways to make the cars nicer to drive, or I hope that we do, because I think, at the moment, especially in qualifying, we\u2019re trying to put the car on the limit and extract everything out of it. In ways, at the moment, it feels like we\u2019re not able to do that.<\/p>\n \u201cI think that\u2019s really the first focus for us that we would like out of the cars, but I think really that safety side probably comes first more than anything.\u201d<\/p>\n Additional reporting by Mat Coch<\/p>\n Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp<\/a> to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists.<\/p>\n You can also subscribe to the PlanetF1 YouTube channel<\/a> for exclusive features, hear from our paddock journalists with stories from the heart of Formula 1 and much more!<\/p>\n