Where problems started with 2026 rules & calendar congestion - F1 Q&A

Before answering this question directly, it's important to point out that not everyone views the new rules in such a negative way. There is an acceptance in F1 that qualifying has been significantly negatively affected, in terms of the driving experience of being on the limit. Efforts have already been made to address that up to a point this year, and larger steps are in the making for next year. At the same time, most senior figures in F1 - including some of the drivers - agree that there has been a positive effect on the racing, even if some of the increased number of overtakes that have been seen can be argued to be artificial and down to offsets between states of charge. TV figures over the first three races were up by more than 20% - all three of Australia, China and Japan had significant increases. Miami's are not available yet. Now, as for the genesis of the new regulations, the target when talks started five or so years ago was to attract more manufacturers. At the time, the direction of road-car technology was firmly electric, so it was decided in concert with the manufacturers to increase the amount of electrification. A nominal 50-50 split between internal combustion and electric was agreed. Fully sustainable, carbon-neutral fuels were added for further environmental credibility. The MGU-H, a part of the hybrid system that recovered energy from the turbo, was removed. …