As promised<\/a>, F1 and motorsport\u2019s governing body, the FIA, monitored the opening races before pushing through some small rule adjustments for this year ahead of bigger changes to reduce the reliance on electrical power in 2027 and 2028<\/a>.<\/p>\n But the way that F1 drivers drive has still changed. It has required a rewiring of their racing brains, teaching them how to best conserve energy or recharge their battery.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a whole new driving style,\u201d said Liam Lawson, the Racing Bulls driver. \u201cYou\u2019re telling the brain not to use a certain amount of throttle in corners because you pay the price later.<\/p>\n \u201c(It\u2019s) extremely unnatural. It\u2019s something that we\u2019ve all had to develop and learn this year.\u201d<\/p>\n Any fan watching F1 this season will have heard discussion around \u2018yo-yo racing\u2019, \u2018superclipping\u2019 (where the battery recharges when the drivers are at full throttle) and \u2018energy harvesting.\u2019<\/p>\n On longer tracks with more straights, such as Spa in Belgium or Silverstone in the United Kingdom, the experience behind the wheel has been more galling for drivers thanks to the batteries draining faster and being charged less.<\/p>\n Fernando Alonso, a two-time world champion, said those two iconic circuits had become \u201cquite sad\u201d with the new cars. A shorter track, such as the Hungaroring in Hungary, which hosted the final race before the summer break, made energy management less of an issue, as the regular braking zones and lower average speed allowed a return to more flat-out style racing.<\/p>\n The drivers have adjusted. But, at the same time, the car\u2019s computing system that controls electrical deployment is trying to outsmart them. If it senses there\u2019s a better way to deliver the electrical power \u2014 at a different corner or straight \u2014 then it will do so automatically.<\/p>\n Sometimes, this is to the detriment of the driver\u2019s time, as they are expecting to have additional power that has already been used earlier in the lap.<\/p>\n Andrea Stella, the McLaren team principal, explained that the AI engine controller system effectively \u201cforward calculates\u201d what it must do to deliver the electric power. Anticipating where that will come can have a big impact not only on straight-line speed, but braking points and corner speeds for the drivers.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is quite difficult to master,\u201d Stella said. \u201cIt\u2019s one of the reasons why the drivers talk about the difficulties to exploit the (engine) from a driving point of view.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s not simply about getting the most out of themselves and their cars for the drivers, but also the AI mind running the engine. Minor driver input changes from lap to lap can lead to wildly different outcomes in that energy deployment.<\/p>\n Haas driver Esteban Ocon explained how in qualifying for the Chinese Grand Prix in March, he carried more speed through the double-left section in the middle sector than on a previous lap, but overall used less throttle application after passing over the exit curb.<\/p>\n The computer took that throttle input change to require a different energy amount on the subsequent straight. There, Ocon lost 0.4 seconds, despite being faster through the preceding corners because he\u2019d carried more speed.<\/p>\n \u201cLast year I would have got away with it no problem,\u201d Ocon said. \u201cThis year, the power never came back on the next straight. Those effects happening are the ones that are frustrating.\u201d<\/p>\n \n Esteban Ocon drives for Haas during the 2026 Chinese Grand Prix weekend. (Peter Fox\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n It\u2019s not just solo driving that has changed. Overtaking and racing have too. After years of debate over the etiquette of passing, the \u2018right\u2019 to corners and the need to leave space for rivals, there\u2019s barely been a flicker of controversy when it comes to overtaking this year, perhaps with the exception of Kimi Antonelli\u2019s scrap with George Russell in the Canada sprint race.<\/p>\n Overtakes still require planning. But instead of it being a matter of then seizing a moment, producing a brave pass around the outside or an impressive lunge to surprise a rival, it\u2019s now mainly down to engine energy levels. If you\u2019ve saved more than the other car, you can hit the button and sail past.<\/p>\n Antonelli\u2019s move on Lewis Hamilton to win the Silverstone sprint race was that in motion. The speed difference between them was almost 25mph due to the difference in energy deployment. Hamilton didn\u2019t stand a chance of fighting back.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s all about having the mushroom at the right moment,\u201d said Cadillac\u2019s Sergio P\u00e9rez, a reference to Mario Kart racing. \u201cNot overusing it and being able to think wisely about that sort of thing has become much more important than (finding) the ultimate tenth of speed on a high-speed corner, for example.\u201d<\/p>\n Seven-time world champion Hamilton agreed that overtaking in F1 this year definitely is not as satisfying as before. \u201cIt\u2019s more just adjusting to understanding how much battery you have,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you use it to overtake, then they have the power to overtake you shortly afterwards, so you have to be quite strategic.\u201d<\/p>\n Verstappen, after making a late pass on Hamilton in Hungary that evoked memories of old moves being down to braking timing, said: \u201cI prefer to drive up to someone and then maybe go for an overtake on the brakes or whatever.<\/p>\n \u201cNow, the overtake is sometimes done in the middle of the straight, so it\u2019s a bit odd. The problem is, of course, that real racing fans understand. The non-racing fans think it\u2019s cool because you just see more overtakes, but it\u2019s not real. It\u2019s not what racing is about.\u201d<\/p>\n This wasn\u2019t the first time Verstappen had made similar comments about only \u2018real\u2019 fans understanding what was happening, having made similar comments in China. And it opens a rather complex philosophical debate about what a \u2018real F1 fan\u2019 is nowadays, and what do they want to see?<\/p>\n F1\u2019s boom in popularity over recent years has changed its fanbase. Fans are getting younger, going from an average of mid-30s to early 30s since Liberty Media\u2019s acquisition of the sport\u2019s commercial rights in 2017, and now far more women are tuning in. Netflix docuseries \u201cDrive to Survive\u201d is credited with a big role in igniting this interest.<\/p>\n Yet that change also opened the door to a degree of gatekeeping among some F1 fans. \u2018New fans\u2019 are sometimes implied to have reduced understanding and reduced appreciation for racing. But it\u2019s always going to be subjective whether one fan or another enjoys what they see.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-2266241919-scaled.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-2286145183-scaled.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-2242055814-scaled.jpg\")
<\/p>\n