FIA director defends new F1 rules amid mid-season ‘refinements’.
Nikolas Tombazis has called for understanding given the regulation overhaul is so large, and reiterated that changes were always possible, having previously said so after the opening round.
25 Apr 2026
Jack Oliver Smith
Motorsport Week

FIA single seater director Nikolas Tombazis has defended Formula 1′s controversial new ruleset, claiming the opening races of the season have “gone quite well in many ways,” amid the sport’s “refinements” of them. “These 2026 regulations, as we’ve said a few times, are one of the biggest changes we’ve had probably in the history of Formula 1,” he said.

“They were quite important to maintain the relevance, the technological developments, with the increased electrification and so on. We knew always that they presented certain challenges, and we always said we were going to review them after the first few races.”

“The first few races have gone quite well in many ways. It has been exciting with lots of close racing and overtaking, but there certainly have been areas where we needed to intervene. So the approach we took here was one of evolution and refinement, not revolution. We don’t think there was any need for revolution.”

‘Regulation overhaul is so large’;

https://www.motorsportweek.com/2026/...n-refinements/


Surprise safety admission from driver who gained from banned F1 engine trick
A driver who gained from a now-banned F1 engine trick makes safety admission.
20 Apr 2026
Lewis Larkam
Crash.Net

Surprise early championship leader Kimi Antonelli conceded having some relief that the trick has been outlawed after it caused some a “stressful moment” during qualifying at the Japanese Grand Prix.

“Obviously, it wasn't the nicest of feelings,” the Mercedes driver told media including Crash.net. “Of course, we try to squeeze every bit of performance on one side. But it can come with facing some issues or some unexpected situations. I was aware that that could have happened, but obviously I didn't really experience it up until obviously Melbourne and Suzuka.”

"Obviously, first of all, it's not so safe - especially in Suzuka. I was a sitting duck in the Esses, and knowing that the track is also not very wide, there's not a lot of space. It was quite stressful, for sure, not being able to do anything, because obviously the car was not responding to any input. And I just was rolling very slowly on track. It was a stressful moment.”

“Quite stressful”;

https://www.crash.net/f1/news/109323...1-engine-trick


Explained: How new F1 engine tweaks aim to improve racing and safety
21 Apr 2026
FP Sports Desk
Firstpost

Max Verstappen’s pressure has finally delivered as Formula One teams and stakeholders agreed unanimously on Monday to engine rule tweaks aimed at improving the racing and driver safety from the next race in Miami on May 3. F1 this season started a new era, with the hybrid power units now split roughly 50-50 between electric and combustion power.

Some drivers have complained over the first three races about having to ’lift and coast’ into high-speed corners so the combustion engine can recharge the battery, and have aired safety concerns regarding the start and speed differentials during the race. They have also had to contend with ‘super-clipping’ where the power unit automatically diverts energy from the engine to the battery, slowing down the car even if the driver is flat on the throttle.

Red Bull’s four-times world champion Verstappen has questioned his future in the sport. The governing International Automobile Federation (FIA) said in a statement that an online meeting with the 11 team bosses, power unit CEOs and Formula One had agreed a number of in-season “refinements”…

‘Max Verstappen’s pressure has finally delivered’;

https://www.firstpost.com/sports/f1-...-14002691.html


The shadow of motorsport’s worst tragedy hangs over F1’s latest safety debate
9 Apr 2026
Keith Collantine
RaceFans

After noting “the contribution of high closing speeds in the accident” involving Oliver Bearman and Franco Colapinto in the Japanese Grand Prix, the FIA stated it would consider potential changes to its new rules during April. As F1 drivers pointed out before and after the crash, the potential consequences of a collision between cars with a significant difference in speeds is huge. Had Bearman not successfully swerved to avoid Colapinto, his car could have been launched into the air making his crash much more dangerous.

Past examples of such a crash include the worst tragedy in motor racing history: the disaster at the 1955 Le Mans 24 Hours. It claimed the life of over 80 people, including driver Pierre Bouillin, who raced under the name Levegh. Levegh’s Mercedes was launched into a densely packed crowd of spectators opposite the pits at the Circuit de la Sarthe. The crash occured as he pursued rival Hawthorn, who was heading for the pits. Hawthorn overtook the Austin-Healey of Lance Macklin, then braked sharply to slow for the pit lane. Macklin swerved to avoid Hawthorn, but his car was struck by Levegh’s.

The death toll was so appallingly high due to the many ways in which motor racing was far less safe 70 years ago than today. In particular, there was little to protect the spectators from a flying car. However this type of crash has long been among those drivers which fear the most, for obvious reasons. A car launched into the air will decelerate little until it hits something and the danger to driver and crowd is obvious, even with today’s stronger cars and barriers.

‘It claimed the life of over 80 people’;

https://www.racefans.net/2026/04/09/...safety-debate/


Don’t expect surprises: FIA’s Tombazis cools hype over F1 changes
23/04/2026
Michael Delaney
F1i.com

“Fans have by and large been enjoying the new regulations because they’ve brought closer racing and I think first and foremost we expect that to continue,” FIA single-seater director Nikolas Tombazis stated in a video published by the FIA. “We think that will be continuing and clearly as the regulations become more mature we expect some teams who are currently lagging behind to gradually catch up and have closer and closer racing as time goes by and as the months and years go by. So that we expect to stay. Regarding what we see at the track, these changes are not revolutionary,” he reiterated.

“They’re not going to fundamentally change the picture that you see. Qualifying will be more flat-out for the drivers. Maybe you will perceive that as you see in the camera shots from within the cockpit and you hear the tone of the power unit, for example, that’s maybe one thing you’re going to see. The position of the drivers was quite uniform,” he explained. “They were all pushing for some changes in qualifying in order to, let’s say, enjoy more the driving, push more, but also they were pushing for us to address certain safety concerns they had, so they were quite united and their input in this was very important.”

“Safety is something we can’t compromise,” he added. “Safety is something that, through the governance, the FIA has the right or even the responsibility to act even unilaterally. So any safety measures we of course discuss with everybody in order to hear the good views of very experienced people but ultimately we, FIA, can decide to take safety measures if we feel that’s important.”

‘Cools hype’;

https://f1i.com/news/563187-dont-exp...1-changes.html


Ben Sulayem pays tribute to all parties for Formula One changes
22 April 2026
Jaydip Sengupta
Gulf News

On Wednesday, FIA’s Emirati president Mohammed Ben Sulayem paid tribute to all parties across the FIA Formula One World Championship for coming together to agree to the changes.

"I would like to praise everyone across the Formula One ecosystem – the FIA staff, teams, drivers and the Power Unit Manufacturers – for the constructive and collaborative work carried out in a very short space of time," said Ben Sulayem. "While we have faced an unexpected gap in the calendar due to circumstances beyond the sport, all parties have remained fully committed to acting in the best interests of Formula One.”

"More than ever, the drivers have been at the heart of these discussions, and I would like to thank them for their valuable input throughout this process," he added.

‘Tribute to all parties’;

https://gulfnews.com/sport/motorspor...es-1.500515642


McLaren make safety demand over crunch FIA & F1 talks
Talks between the FIA, F1, and the teams are now underway, but McLaren has a clear objective from the meetings.
10 Apr 2026
Jake Nichol & Sàndor Mészáros
RacingNews365

McLaren boss Andrea Stella is keen for a potential increase in the super-clipping charging limit for F1 cars, to combat a perceived bigger safety threat. "I think we have to look at the data and the teams should share information in terms of what was going on with [Franco] Colapinto and Oliver Bearman," Stella told the media, including RacingNews365.

"The reason for adding a 350kw super clip is that we would like to avoid drivers having to lift and coast, because if there is a lift and coast, there's an even bigger speed differential with the car that is following."

‘Super-clipping charging limit increase’;

https://racingnews365.com/mclaren-ma...h-fia-f1-talks