The Miami Grand Prix was loudly proclaimed “the new start” of the 2026 Formula 1 season. After a month-long break caused by the cancellation of two races, fans and drivers alike were looking forward to the sport’s return. The anticipation was only amplified by the fact that the inauguration of the season was marked by issues with the newly introduced regulations. The reality, however, did not meet the expectations.
Because Formula 1’s new regulations have sparked an uproar among fans and drivers, the FIA decided to refine them before the Miami Grand Prix. The introduced changes relate mostly to the hybrid engines. They include a reduction of the maximum recharge rate in qualifying, in hopes of decreasing the issue of super clipping, and a cap on the power provided by the “Boost Mode”. The latter specifically has been a point of discussion following Oliver Bearman’s dangerous Suzuka crash, which was caused by a large difference in speed between him and Franco Colapinto.
The changes, together with the upgrades brought by the teams, did seem to have a positive impact on the racing spectacle. Whereas before the season belonged entirely to Mercedes, the playing field seemed to be more levelled during the Miami Grand Prix. Lando Norris qualified at the very front for the sprint and went on to win it by a comfortable margin. Although the Silver Arrows, thanks to the efforts of Kimi Antonelli, returned to the front in the qualifying and the race, their wins were not as dominant as many fans feared they would be. George Russell, in particular, underperformed heavily, finishing behind his young teammate in both points-awarding events.
The short answer is no, absolutely not. Although the changes are a step in the right direction, they are little more than putting a Band-Aid on a gunshot wound. Succeeding in the new cars is still a matter of understanding and exploiting their technicalities rather than a question of pure racing. This takes away from the fans’ experience of following the season. Gone are the times of getting excited about incredible qualifying laps and bold moves at the very edges of the track. Most of their advantages are still negated by the new energy-recovery systems.
People have spent years complaining that, with how big Formula 1 cars have gotten, overtakes were too few and too far between. The new regulations were thus supposed to make it significantly easier for the drivers to change positions. They did manage to achieve it… Almost too well. Right now, with the cars often losing energy at the ends of long straights, it feels like they are moving past each other rather than fighting. It is often more beneficial for a driver to let his rival pass so that he can get additional power for the following lap and reclaim the position. Can that really be called “racing”?
At the same time, year after year, Formula 1 is becoming more Americanized in all aspects of the word. The spectacle of a racing event becomes much more important than the sport at its core, twisting the Grand Prix into caricatures of what they had once been. This isn’t a problem created by the new regulations. It could be seen in the past few seasons, with the Mickey Mouse Bellagio fountain show included in the broadcast of last year’s Las Vegas Grand Prix serving as the perfect example. The changes did, however, make it all the more prominent through the artificial feeling they introduced to the sport.
For many reasons, a few of which I outlined above, I firmly believe that while the pre-Miami changes did help, they didn’t solve Formula 1’s deeper issues. The view lines up with the thoughts of many drivers. When asked about his experience during a post-race press conference, Oscar Piastri stated:
“I think the reducing the harvest limit in qualifying has helped a bit. It’s not fixed the problem or all the problems, but it’s helping with one (…) I think the collaboration again from the FIA and F1 has been good, but there’s only so many things you can change with the hardware we have. So some changes in the future are, I think still needed for sure. How quickly we can do it is the big question.”
Both Antonelli and Norris echoed his sentiment, with the latter adding:
“It’s a small step in the right direction, but it’s not to the level that Formula 1 should still be at yet. I think we said yesterday still in qualifying, if you go flat out everywhere and you try pushing like you were in previous years, you still just get penalised for it. You still can’t be flat out everywhere. It’s not about being on as early on throttle everywhere. You should never get penalised for that kind of thing and you still do. So honestly, I don’t really think you can fix that. You just have to get rid of the battery. So hopefully in a few years, that’s the case.
The month-long break after only three races, paired with the lackluster regulations, cooled down the excitement related to Formula 1’s newest iteration. Although the sport is moving in the right direction, I can’t help but wonder if it’s not too little, too late. The damage has already been done, and many fans have already given up on the season.
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