Formula 1 emerged from its five-week break with a revised rule book and an obvious question: will the changes really fix what drivers have been complaining about all year? After Sunday’s 2026 Miami Grand Prix, the answer is somewhere between a little and not really.
The FIA’s refinements to the 2026 rules were targeted, not comprehensive. Qualifying energy harvesting was reduced from 8 megajoules to 7 megajoules, superclipping was increased from 250 kW to 350 kW, and now includes a minimum MGU-K acceleration to prevent drivers from coming off the line when the race starts.
The goal was simple. Make qualifying feel like qualifying, reducing the closing-speed lag that worries drivers in traffic and reducing manual throttle babysitting at the start of flying laps.
So, what was the decision?
What worked with the 2026 F1 rules update
What worked? Ability. Drivers almost universally said the changes made the one-lap pace feel closer to traditional F1.
Haas’s Ollie Bearman pointed to the automatic throttle on the qualifying out-lap as a worthwhile improvement, adding that drivers were forced to look down the dash to confirm the 50 percent throttle reading, which he called “a little alarming”. Audi’s Nico Hulkenberg said the package was “a bit of a reset” and described the Ability as “more user-friendly, more pushy”.
What didn’t work at the Miami Grand Prix?
What didn’t you do? Mostly just racing. The new energy rules built into so-called yo-yo racing were still on full display, most obviously in the scrap between race winner Kimi Antonelli and Charles Leclerc, where the two repeatedly swapped places during the cycle of their batteries. Lando Norris, who finished second after watching that fight from behind, was blunt afterward.
Norris said, “It’s a small step in the right direction, but it’s not at the level Formula 1 should be at yet.”
Max Verstappen, the biggest critic of the 2026 formula, has not softened his stance since the preseason.
“What I said before about the rules is still the same,” Verstappen said. “It’s still not how I want it to look. I mean it’s still punishing you. The faster you go through the corners the slower you go down the next straightaway. So, it’s not what it should be about. But at least my car is functioning a little bit better so it’s a little less stressful to drive it.”
Fernando Alonso highlighted a structural issue that could not be resolved.
“This power unit and this regulation will always reward going slower in the corners, because you have more energy,” said Alonso.
Antonelli, meanwhile, took the win and extended his championship lead, reminding everyone that the Mercedes power unit advantage is not going anywhere anytime soon. Leclerc’s race ended in a 20-second penalty after a last lap spin into the Turn 3 wall, dropping him from sixth to eighth.
The big picture: F1 has bought itself some breathing room with these improvements, but the fundamental complaints about energy management and corner-speed penalties remain. The FIA is reportedly already considering more significant 2027 engine adjustments. Miami suggested they would need him.
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