Motor Sport F1 Show with Mark Hughes Apr 15, 2026

F1's 2026 relaunch: rule changes & engine upgrades unlocked

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38:14

Topic

F1 is set to change its rules and unlock engine upgrades

They’re talking about Formula 1 changing the rules for 2026. When the rules change, teams can often improve their engines in new ways, which can change who’s fastest.

Topic

Crunch Formula One meeting

They mention a big F1 meeting where important decisions get made. This is the kind of meeting that can change how the cars are allowed to be built and tuned.

Concept

“Power split” refers to how power is divided and managed within F1’s powertrain—especially between different energy sources and modes in the hybrid era. Changing it can affect acceleration, efficiency, and how teams calibrate the car’s behavior across the race.

Topic

F1's crisis of its own making

They’re suggesting F1 has some problems that it helped create. The conversation is likely about what F1’s choices have done to the sport.

Topic

Miami Grand Prix

The Miami Grand Prix is one of the Formula 1 races. When rules are changed, the sport tries to finalize them early enough that teams can build and update their cars for that event.

Topic

technical people

“Technical people” in F1 usually refers to engineers and technical delegates who analyze how proposed rule changes affect car design and performance. They help translate high-level decisions into practical, enforceable technical requirements.

Concept

F1 Commission

The F1 Commission is like a rules committee for Formula 1. After they approve something, it becomes official rules that teams have to comply with.

Topic

regulations

Regulations are the official rules for Formula 1. If something gets added to the regulations, teams can plan their car updates around it.

Concept

safety card

“Safety card” here doesn’t mean a car safety system—it’s a figure of speech. It means using a special process to speed things up when there’s not enough time.

Concept

deployment

“Deployment” means when the car is allowed to use its stored battery energy to make more power. The rules limit how much you can use, so teams have to choose the best moments.

Concept

energy split

“Energy split” is how the rules let the team decide when to use the car’s stored electrical energy. Think of it like budgeting battery power for acceleration and saving some for later.

Concept

harvesting rate

“Harvesting rate” is how quickly the car can recharge its battery while slowing down. The faster you can recharge (within limits), the more electrical power you can use later.

Concept

battery storage

“Battery storage” is how much energy the car can keep in its battery at once. If the allowed amount is smaller, you run out sooner and have to recharge more often.

Concept

electrical side

The “electrical side” is the battery and electric power parts of the F1 hybrid system. If the rules change how that part works, the car’s power delivery and race strategy change too.

Concept

internal combustion engine power

This is the power coming from the fuel-burning engine itself (not the battery). If the rules let teams make more of it, the car may depend less on electric boost.

Concept

internal combustion engine (ICE) power

ICE power is the “regular engine” part of the F1 power unit that makes power by burning fuel. If teams increase it, they’re trying to get more thrust from that engine, but they have to stay within F1 rules about fuel use and hardware.

Concept

speed differential in the race

Speed differential is basically how big the performance gap is between cars during the race. If the gap is too large, it’s harder to pass, so the racing can look less competitive.

Concept

qualifying situation where drivers are having to lift off

“Lift off” means the driver eases off the throttle instead of going flat-out. In qualifying, that often happens when the car can’t safely or effectively use full power at that moment, so the driver has to back off to stay in control.

Concept

fuel flow

Fuel flow is how quickly the engine is allowed to use fuel. If F1 changes the rules around that, teams can’t just “turn a knob”—they often have to adjust the engine and its settings to work properly under the new fuel limits.

Brand

Mercedes

Mercedes is another major F1 constructor, and the segment frames them as being satisfied with their current competitiveness. The discussion suggests that if rules stayed unchanged, Mercedes would likely be among the teams most comfortable with that status quo.

Topic

F1's 2026 relaunch: rule changes & engine upgrades unlocked

This part is basically about what the 2026 F1 rule changes could do to team performance. They’re talking about how engine and hybrid upgrades might change who has the advantage.

Concept

power unit

In F1, the “power unit” isn’t just the engine. It’s the engine plus the hybrid parts that store and reuse energy, so the car can make more power than the engine alone.

Term

mechanical advantage

This means how much of the car’s speed comes from the regular engine and mechanical parts, versus the hybrid energy system. In hybrid F1 cars, both matter, but they don’t contribute equally all the time.

Term

electrical advantage

This is the part of performance that comes from the battery and electric motor. If the team can store and use more electrical energy, the car can be faster even if the engine itself isn’t the only source of power.

Term

super clipping

This sounds like a strategy the team uses to manage power and energy flow. The important part is that it’s connected to keeping the battery charged and improving how much boost the car can use.

Term

battery starts charging itself up

That phrase means the car can make electricity while it’s running, not just when you slow down. If it can keep the battery charged better, it can use more electric boost later.

Brand

Red Bull Powertrain

“Red Bull Powertrain” refers to the team’s power unit program and how it delivers power in practice. The discussion frames it as strong in deployment, efficiency, and overall power—suggesting the car can use its available energy effectively.

Term

transparency

“Transparency” here is about how openly F1 stakeholders communicate intentions, compliance, or decision-making around rule changes. Limited transparency can make it harder for teams to predict what will happen next and plan development accordingly.

Concept

additional development upgrade opportunities

This is about how the rules can give teams extra chances to bring new parts during the season. That matters because it changes how fast teams can fix problems and improve the car.

Concept

enforced hiatus

An enforced hiatus is a required break—basically a pause—before the next big event. The idea is that teams stop for a bit, then restart their work and bring updates again.

Company

FIA

The FIA is the organization that makes the official rules for Formula 1. Even after new rules are introduced, they can still adjust things later if they think it’s needed.

Concept

energy-hungry circuit

Some tracks make you use more power more often. If the circuit demands lots of energy, it can reveal whether the car’s upgrades really work when you’re pushing hard.

Topic

Formula One season expectations

The hosts talk about what people expect from each F1 season. They compare different opinions on whether passing is exciting because of driver skill or because of race conditions.

Concept

overtaking

In racing, “overtaking” just means getting past another car. In F1, it’s not only about being faster—it also depends on how well the cars can run close together and still have grip.

Concept

dirty air

When one car drives, it messes up the air around it. The next car behind has a harder time getting good grip because the air isn’t clean anymore, so it’s tougher to follow closely and pass.

Concept

artificial overtakes

“Artificial overtakes” means passes that happen because the rules or systems make it easier to attack. It’s contrasted with a pass that happens purely from a driver’s skill and judgment.

Concept

yo-yo style race

A “yo-yo” race is one where the order keeps changing in a back-and-forth way. Instead of one car steadily pulling away or staying ahead, the gaps and positions keep swinging around.

Concept

two different algorithms being out of phase with each other

This phrase suggests that the cars’ control systems (and/or race-management systems) can behave differently, so the timing of their actions doesn’t line up. When that happens, what looks like a genuine overtake may actually be a mismatch in how systems respond, rather than clean wheel-to-wheel passing.

Term

out breaking

“Outbraking” means you brake later than the car in front and dive into the corner. If you get the braking right, you can pass without needing straight-line speed.

Concept

empty of battery

This means the car’s hybrid battery is running low, so it can’t give as much extra boost. If one car has more battery energy than the other, it can change who can attack and pass.

Company

FOM

FOM is the part of Formula One that focuses on running the show—how races are organized and how the sport is marketed. If they’re talking about attracting fans, it’s usually about presentation and engagement.

Topic

GT World Challenge Europe

GT World Challenge Europe is a racing series for sports cars. The host mentions it to explain what they were covering recently, showing they watch more than just F1.

Concept

crisis of credibility

When people say “crisis of credibility,” they mean they’re starting to doubt the sport. In F1, that can be because the rules feel confusing, unfair, or like they’re not leading to the racing people expect.

Concept

balance of this season

“Balance of this season” refers to how competitive the cars are relative to each other under the current rules and setup window. When the speaker says tweaks could cover the balance, they mean the changes might be enough to keep performance relatively close until the bigger update.

Concept

fundamental change

A “fundamental change” means the rules would change in a big way, not just small tweaks. That can force teams to redesign how the car makes and uses power.

Term

IC

“IC” just means the normal engine that burns fuel. In a hybrid, it’s the part you compare against the electric motor and battery.

Term

electrical on the battery side

This is the electric part of the car that comes from the battery. Teams decide when to use that stored energy and when to recharge it, which affects speed and consistency.

Concept

combine two completely different energy sources in one car

They’re saying F1 is trying something new where the car uses two different kinds of energy at the same time. That’s a big deal because it forces teams to rethink the engine and how the car makes power.

Concept

FAA

The transcript mentions “FAA” as part of the group involved in upcoming discussions. The exact meaning of FAA isn’t explained here, so it’s unclear what organization they mean from this snippet alone.

Concept

development upgrades opportunities

Teams don’t just build upgrades whenever they want in F1. They get specific chances to bring improvements, and when those chances happen can affect how quickly performance can improve.

Term

dyno time

“Dyno time” is time on a dynamometer, a test rig that measures engine output under controlled conditions. In F1, limiting or granting dyno time is a way to control development while still allowing teams to validate upgrades.

Concept

cost cap allowances

The discussion links performance-based upgrade permissions to the F1 cost cap, meaning teams may receive adjustments that help them stay within spending limits while still developing the allowed upgrades. This is a governance mechanism to balance competitiveness and financial control.

Term

re-homologate certain parts

“Re-homologate” means re-approving parts under the sport’s technical regulations after changes are made. In this context, the rules appear to allow teams to update specific components (and, at larger performance gaps, potentially more broadly) while staying compliant.

Term

horsepower

Horsepower is a way to describe how strong an engine is. But in F1, the rules care about more than just the biggest number you can make at one moment. They also look at how consistent and sustainable the performance is.

Term

aerodynamic veins

Aerodynamic “veins” are small, shaped bodywork elements used to manage airflow around aerodynamic surfaces. Here, the segment explains that Ferrari and Haas use features above the exhaust to redirect airflow, which then affects exhaust back pressure. It’s an example of how aero details can influence engine/exhaust-related measurements.

Brand

Haas

Haas is mentioned as another team using small airflow-shaping parts near the exhaust. Those parts can change exhaust flow and back pressure. That matters because F1’s measurement approach can depend on exhaust behavior.

Brand

Ferrari

Ferrari is mentioned here as an example of a team that shapes airflow near the exhaust. Those small design details can change exhaust behavior, which can affect how performance is measured. It shows how much engineering goes into meeting the rules.

Term

back pressure

Back pressure is the resistance to exhaust gas flow created by exhaust system geometry and restrictions. In the segment, the hosts say aerodynamic features above the exhaust can increase back pressure, which becomes one of the parameters used to infer how much power is being produced. That’s a reminder that exhaust behavior can be part of how F1 measures and regulates performance.

Concept

time allocated

They’re saying teams won’t all get the same amount of time under the rules. That time can be part of how the FIA balances competition. The key idea is that the rules can limit or reward teams through time-based permissions.

Term

detuned

“Detuned” means the engine is being run a little less aggressively than it could be. Teams do this sometimes to make it last longer or to stay within what the rules allow.

Term

compression ratios

Compression ratio is the relationship between the maximum and minimum volume in an engine cylinder, and it strongly affects efficiency and power. The transcript says the FIA will change how they check compression ratios, which implies teams may be able to adjust engine design/calibration more freely to meet the new verification approach.

Concept

re-homologate your engine

“Re-homologate” means getting the FIA’s approval again for a new engine setup. If teams are allowed to do that, they can make bigger changes than usual and potentially improve performance sooner.

Brand

Aston Martin

Aston Martin is an F1 team. The hosts are using them as an example of a team that might be behind right now, but could get a chance to catch up if the rules let them change their engine more.

Brand

Honda

Honda is mentioned as the engine side of Aston Martin’s setup. In F1, the engine package is a huge part of performance, and rule changes can affect how much that engine can be reworked.

Concept

long-lead items

Some parts take so long to make that teams have to start planning months (or even years) ahead. Engines are one of those parts because they can’t just be quickly redesigned and built in time for the next few races.

Topic

Max Verstappen

Max Verstappen is the main F1 driver being talked about. In this part of the show, they mention where he was and how he’s handling media attention.

Car

GT3

GT3 is a type of race series for modified “regular” sports cars. It’s not one specific car model—think of it as a racing category—and Verstappen was there with his team doing that kind of racing.

Concept

Paul Ricard

Paul Ricard is a famous race track in France. It hosts different kinds of racing, so it makes sense that a driver like Verstappen would show up for GT3 events there.

Term

race engineer

A race engineer is the person who works directly with the driver during a race weekend. They help interpret what the driver is feeling, then suggest changes so the car performs better.

Concept

driver-engineer relationship

In F1, the driver-engineer relationship is a performance-critical partnership: the engineer must quickly interpret the driver’s feedback and convert it into actionable setup and strategy decisions. The segment describes a “combative” but effective dynamic between Lambiasi and Verstappen, where the engineer helps keep the driver focused and the car working within the right operating window.

Term

systems

When they say “systems,” they mean the car’s different technical parts and electronic controls. The engineer’s job is to understand how those parts affect how the car feels and behaves.

Company

McLaren

McLaren is another top Formula 1 team. The idea here is that Lambiasi is moving to McLaren for a bigger, more senior job rather than working mainly as one driver’s engineer.

Company

Andrea Stella

Andrea Stella is a top leader at McLaren. The host is basically saying Lambiasi’s new role would put him near the top of the team’s decision-making chain.

Concept

de facto deputy team principle

This phrase means Lambiasi would effectively act like the team’s second-in-command, even if the official title is different. It’s about who has the most influence on decisions.

Topic

management changes

In Formula 1, management changes can trigger broader organizational shifts—new reporting lines, different priorities, and changes in how departments coordinate. That can affect everything from car development timelines to race strategy execution.

Concept

driver-team identity

They’re talking about how drivers sometimes feel like they truly belong to a team, not just work there. That can influence how they collaborate with the people building the car and how invested they feel long-term.

Concept

straight into F1

“Straight into F1” refers to bypassing the usual ladder of junior series and moving to the top level more quickly. In F1, teams control driver development pathways, so who gets a direct route can strongly affect a driver’s early career and opportunities.

Concept

GP2

GP2 was a racing series for up-and-coming drivers. It helped them prove themselves before moving up to Formula 1.

Concept

Formula 2

Formula 2 is a stepping-stone series before Formula 1. If a driver does well there, it can help them get noticed and move up.

Car

Lando Norris

Lando Norris is an F1 driver. The host is saying that if Verstappen’s future changes, it could affect who drives for teams like McLaren.

Car

Red Bull

Red Bull is an F1 team. The host is talking about whether Verstappen might leave that team and how that could shake up other teams’ driver lineups.

Concept

driver market (being on the market)

In F1, drivers are hired by teams on contracts. If a star driver might become available, other teams start worrying because there are only a few top seats.

Term

Qualifying (Q3)

Qualifying in F1 is split into sessions (Q1, Q2, Q3). Q3 is the final segment where the fastest drivers set their last laps, so any slowing, stopping, or traffic in the closing minutes can directly affect who gets a clean run.

Concept

gap management / traffic spacing

F1 is constantly trying to keep cars from getting too spread out or too bunched up. A rule meant to stop big gaps can end up causing a line of cars to form, which then delays other drivers and affects their ability to set a fast lap.

Term

pit lane

The pit lane is the road beside the track where teams work on the cars. Here, the rules make drivers wait there to create spacing, and that waiting can cause delays for everyone behind them.

Concept

speed Delta

“Speed Delta” just means the speed gap between two cars during a fight. If one car is consistently faster at certain moments, it can close in quickly—and that can make the racing feel more dangerous.

Concept

harvest and deploy

F1 cars can store extra energy and then use it for a burst of performance. “Harvest and deploy” means when the car collects that energy and when it spends it to go faster.

Concept

engine maps

“Engine maps” are the programmed control strategies that determine how the engine/power unit responds—such as throttle response, power delivery, and energy deployment behavior. Standardizing maps could, in theory, reduce performance mismatches between teams, but the discussion suggests it may not fully solve the underlying closing-speed issue.

Term

turbo

A turbo is a device that helps the engine make more power by using exhaust gases to push extra air into the engine. In racing, the turbo’s size affects how quickly the car feels fast and when it performs best.

Concept

closing speed problem

This is about how fast one car can reel in another. If the rules make cars jump from “not very fast” to “very fast” suddenly, it can be risky for the cars being caught.

Concept

F1 and world motorcycle championships

They’re pointing out that two different champions won in two different kinds of racing. One was Formula 1 (cars) and the other was motorcycle racing.

Car

F1

“F1” means Formula 1, which is the highest level of race car series in the world. It’s about purpose-built race cars, not a normal consumer car.

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F1 is set to change its rules and unlock engine upgrades.

How will this affect the championship?

This week's Crunch Formula One meeting will alter the power split,

so who will be the big winners and losers,

and what does F1's crisis of its own making say about the state of the sport?

Plus, what is a duo and why is it so important?

And the real reason why Max Verstappen's engineer is moving to McLaren.

Plenty to get through then, as always, on the Most Sport F1 show with Mark Hughes.

Well, Mark, it's great to see you here once again.

It's been a quiet-ish week, but last time we spoke,

everyone was going into that big meeting.

What can you tell us?

Yeah, so that meeting happened,

and they've agreed to have two more meetings.

I don't know the meeting after that,

but essentially, yeah, there is full agreement

that changes will be made before the Miami Grand Prix.

That bit's unanimous.

Then they meet with the technical people to discuss it.

And the following day, there will be a follow-up meeting on that

to discuss how to do whatever it is they've decided to do.

And then on the following Monday,

that's when the team bosses and everyone sort of agrees.

And it goes to the F1 Commission.

And once it's gone to the F1 Commission,

it can be incorporated into the regulations.

So it will be done before Miami, whatever it is they've agreed to do.

But at the moment, that's exactly what they're going to do

is still waiting for the discussion.

So things are kind of moving steadily.

So last week's meeting, then,

was really a meeting to set up the main meeting?

In essence, yes.

And I mean, in theory, it could have been that

if there were enough dissenters

to prevent a potential supermajority,

it could have been slowed down

and might not have happened in time for Miami

or would have required the safety card to be played

to push it through in time.

But that's not going to be necessary.

There's a general agreement that everyone's amenable

to the two changes being made.

And they've just got to agree on exactly what they are.

Certainly, there will be around the energy split

in terms of how much deployment you're going to be permitted,

how much harvesting rate you're going to be permitted,

how much battery storage you're going to be allowed.

Whether it goes any further than that is open to doubt.

But certainly there are the three main factors

on the electrical side that they will be trying to tweak.

So, yeah, could it go further than that?

Could it go as far as up in the engine power,

the internal combustion engine power?

That's a bit more problematical,

but there is at least one party that is pushing for that.

They would like that to happen.

But whether that would be enough,

they would really ideally need to get more people on their side

so that the necessary voting bloc would go through.

So, this might be a completely ridiculous question,

but is there some sort of campaigning going on?

Is there...

Spencer Group's been set up that are going round saying,

hey, vote for this, vote for us, we can do this for you,

or is it each to their own,

or is there a consensus of agreement, or what?

I think there will probably, inevitably,

be some people that think they will be more disadvantaged

than others if a certain direction is taken

or they fear that somebody may be advantaged, not them.

So, yeah, there's inevitably a little bit of sort of horse trading

going on behind the scenes, I would imagine.

That's normally what happens,

but it doesn't require unanimity this thing to go through.

It just requires majority.

So, yeah, I don't think it'll be...

I don't think that's going to stop the process as it were,

but yeah, for sure, there'll be people trying to look at things

in the most favorable way for them.

You mentioned that there are certain teams that are looking

for maybe the increase of the power unit of the ICE side of things.

Which team would be on that side of the river?

Red Bull's on that side.

Red Bull is very interested in upping the internal combustion engine power.

And actually, that is, if you were looking to really make

the most impact on addressing the concerns,

which are the speed differential in the race,

the qualifying situation where drivers are having to lift off quite a lot,

that would be how you would do it.

But there's probably going to be a general reluctance

for manufacturers to do that because it does have a lot of implications

because the engines have been designed for this power level

and this fuel flow, and it starts to get very complicated if you change that.

Seems like it's been a very, very complicated start

to these new regulations from this season,

but also prior to it when everyone was looking at the regulations themselves.

So I guess there are champions for each different option.

Are there any teams that are saying leave it as it is?

If there was, it would be Mercedes for obvious reasons

because they're very happy with how competitive they are at the moment.

But I think even Mercedes would recognise that there are some problems

that need to be addressed.

But I think if you were to say to Mercedes,

we've decided we're not going to change anything.

They would probably be the only ones that would be happy.

Now, this is the topic of your latest column, the MPH column,

which as listeners and viewers will always know,

you can go to mostportmagazine.com and read for yourselves.

It's a great read. Just go back through for us.

Would you the options that are available?

And if you would as well, let us know which option would best suit which team.

I know it's like a bit of a tricky one to start with, but yeah.

I don't think it's a straight forwarder start.

We have enough knowledge of how each power unit derives its full performance

and what percentage is a mechanical advantage and what percentage is an electrical advantage.

But certainly the Mercedes appears to have the most internal combustion energy.

So anything that if you're talking about increasing the super clipping,

the rate of super clipping whereby the battery starts charging itself up

even when you're in full throttle.

The advantage of more mechanical power is even greater.

So yes, that would probably, if I did that, that would probably help Mercedes even more.

But don't forget, we've got the EDUO coming up in a few races after that.

So if Mercedes is found to have increased its advantage as a result of anything that happens

going into Miami, it will impact upon that.

I think probably Red Bull Powertrain is the feeling is that that is a very potent engine

in terms of its deployment and in terms of its efficiency and just general all round power.

So that's probably unlikely to get much of an allowance going forward.

But I think there's a concern from Ferrari that Mercedes may be not running to their maximum

as contra-concerned from Mercedes that Ferrari may not be.

So that may be why the Red Bull looks relatively competitive.

If both those suspicions turn out to be true.

I don't think it's as simple as if they do this, it helps them.

If you do this, it hurts them.

I don't think it's as simple as that.

It's certainly not something that we have that transparency on at the moment.

I'm going to come to a bit more about the additional development

upgrade opportunities thing in just a bit because some people may not know

what that is or how it works.

But there is a very, very tight schedule at the moment.

I know that we've gone this bit of a enforced hiatus ahead of Miami,

but once it all kicks back up again, we know the circles will roll into town.

It's going to keep on, keep on going, keep on going.

Are there any teams that are likely to hold the FIA Formula 1 to ransom

if they don't get what they want?

Or is it a case of it's a majority, not everybody.

So it doesn't really matter if one or two teams are unhappy.

The latter.

It will go through even if somebody decides to be awkward,

which there's no point being really if you were out on your own.

So yes, something will go through.

So in your opinion, how much of a change are we likely to see ahead of Miami?

And will that be it or will there be further changes down the road

upon reviewing what these changes have done?

I think the intention is to change it enough that that will be it.

But I think the FIA will still be reserving the right to make further changes

if it's still not right.

My suspicion is that what changes will come will all be on the electrical side.

And I think the fundamental issues that we've seen in these first three races

will still be there.

However, there may be hidden a little bit more than there have been in two

of the first three races just because of the nature of the circuit

that the calendar visits next.

So after Miami, Montreal, Monaco,

you're not going to see such a problem with

in generically with this type of engines there.

So it could appear to have worked

when in reality when we get to a more energy-hungry circuit

we might find out that the change has not been as big as hoped.

Going into this, going into every Formula One season,

fans always want more overtaking.

They want less dirty air.

They want the cars to get closer.

They want more fighting, that kind of thing.

And there is one argument to say the fans have got what they wanted.

They've got overtakes are plenty, whether it's artificial

or whether it's done by amazing driver skill.

There are the old hats, the purists that say,

look, it's not driver skill, it's not a pure overtake.

And there are new people that have got into the sport

through watching dry to survive, et cetera, et cetera,

that maybe just enjoy the thrills of the overtakes

and don't fully understand why the nuance is to it.

Does the FIA have a huge problem that if they change it

and suddenly there are less opportunities for overtakes

it's going to alienate the new bunch.

And if they keep it the way it is,

it's going to alienate the old bunch.

So they are kind of in a bit where they can't win here

at the moment.

There's an element of that.

It's very finely balanced and I wouldn't like to be

in their position at the minute.

Liberty and the FIA and Formula One because it is,

it's already polarized and it risks being further polarized,

whatever changes they make.

And then trying to bring the two types of fans together

is going to be very tricky.

And I think while the sort of yo-yo style race

and so-called is very popular with, you know,

let's say the more casual fans and even some of the more,

you know, established fans can appreciate that it's actually quite,

it makes a quite entertaining show on TV.

But as soon as you realize, as soon as the fan becomes

more educated in the fact that that wasn't really an overtake,

that was just two different algorithms being out of phase with each other.

It doesn't really mean anything.

Then it stops being so exciting once you understand

that it doesn't really mean very much.

So that credibility gap, it's something that needs to be bridged.

Whether you can do that and have all races like the were at Shanghai,

where the overtakes in the main were being done by drivers

and out breaking each other.

And the power split was really just keeping the car behind in play,

ready to try for an outbreak and move later.

But you weren't getting in a situation where one car was empty of battery

and the other guy had 500 horsepower more and came past that way.

That was generally not happening.

But that was just because of the circuit layout

and just because of the way the corners were sequenced.

So it would be good if all the remaining ones were more like that.

But probably there won't be.

There'll probably be layouts which will expose the underlying problem again, I would think.

I guess is how many more fans can you attract to the sport

and can you keep on attracting more fans and you're losing?

Yes, that's an algorithm that the FIA, Formula One and FOM

have to have to look into a little bit.

But it's a very interesting time to be watching Formula One with all this going on.

It's a frustrating time.

I was talking to some drivers.

I was in Poricardo over the weekend covering GT World Challenge Europe,

as you know, and I was talking to a number of drivers

and there are quite a few coming up with their own suggestions

of what should happen in Formula One.

Every F1 fan, whether you're a racing driver or whether you're just a fan,

has an idea of the right way to go.

And it's a bit of a conundrum, isn't it?

Yeah, it is.

And the problem is when you get this deep into it,

every change you make creates a different problem.

And this is partly how we've got into this situation.

So I think you need to be very careful

and have to make each move with a lot of thought and data behind it

rather than just, hey, what about this?

What about this?

Because it will solve one problem and create two more, usually.

Exactly.

Well, at the end of your article,

and I don't want to spoil or alert everyone, by the way,

so if you want to read the article and you don't want to know

one of the final couple of sentences,

you say it's whether or not Formula One considers this to be

a crisis of credibility or merely needing a few tweaks.

And you've been in this sport for a very long time, Mark.

You've seen regulations come and go.

What do you think it will, fundamentally,

or what do you think it will be at the end when we look back

in a couple of years' time?

Will it be a few tweaks or will it be a fundamental change?

I think there might get away with a few tweaks

for the balance of this season.

But I think fundamentally it needs more.

It needs a very different energy split between the IC

and the electrical on the battery side.

So, yeah, I think it can probably be masked enough

for the balance for this season with a few tweaks

and with a favorable run of circuits.

But no, there is something not quite right with it,

which needs to be addressed.

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We know this is the biggest overhaul in the regulations,

really, in the history of Formula One,

when there's been such debate that's gone on for so long.

I don't think I can.

I don't think there's been such dissatisfaction

from so many diverse groups.

Yet at the same time,

a lot of excitement from another group.

So it's unique, really, I think, in the sports history of this.

And it's the first time the sport has tried to combine

two completely different energy sources in one car.

And it's created a unique set of problems to try and solve.

It's great for column inches, isn't it?

But I think we'll be happy when we stop talking about it.

It'll be nice when it's all put to bed finally, won't it?

So as I say, you can read Mark's article,

the MPH column, on motorsportmagazine.com.

It's a really good read.

There's a lot of detail about the options

that will be faced.

They'll be facing the FAA and Formula One and FOM

and all the teams and stakeholders in the coming week.

You can read all the pros and the cons to it as well.

It's all there in the articles.

Go and check it out for yourselves at motorsportmagazine.com.

Now, moving on to the additional development

upgrades opportunities.

When do we see this coming to play

and who is going to take advantage first?

It's not set in stone.

Originally it was going to be after race six.

But I think with these changes that will be discussed

for Miami, it might not be after race six.

It might be before or after then.

It's not cast in stone.

I think they want to get through this set of decisions first

before addressing that.

So, yes, but it will happen.

And it looks as though

there will be certainly some engines

which are going to be given an all-out.

How does the allowance work exactly?

Basically, if the power unit is found to be

between two and four percent

adrift of the most powerful or the best,

you are permitted two upgrades, one this season,

one next season,

and you'll get more time, dyno time,

and there are allowances made in the cost cap,

things like that.

But if you're a bit further off,

if you're four to six percent off,

then you get two upgrades

and even bigger allowances on the dyno.

And you can re-homologate certain parts.

And I think if you're more than six percent off,

then you can essentially re-homologate the whole thing.

I don't think even Honda at the moment is that far off.

I think it would be in the four to six percent bracket

rather than six percent plus.

But essentially, that's how it works.

How they actually measure it,

because it's not just horsepower.

It's about what power you have over the lap

and how sustainable it is.

How that's measured is very opaque

and it's not something even the teams know.

It's an FIA measurement and they decide it.

But it's very complicated.

There's even details you wouldn't even think of,

such as, you know, the Ferrari and the Haas

have got these above the exhaust

to have these little aerodynamic veins

to redirect the airflow.

They create some additional back pressure in the exhaust

and the back pressure is one of the parameters

that they're using to determine how much power is coming out.

So even that is complicated by a little detail such as that.

So, yeah, only the FIA know exactly how they are going to measure it

and how it's going to be determined.

But what they say goes

and that's what will determine who gets what allowances.

And so you kind of answered the question

that I was going to ask you next.

They don't all give them the same amount of time.

There will be different amounts of time allocated,

depending on how far you are behind,

presumably Mercedes at this stage.

Yeah, although Mercedes is,

I don't know whether it's disingenuous or not,

but Mercedes believes the most powerful power unit is not them.

They believe it's the Red Bull.

Whether that's because, as we talked about before,

they've been running slightly detuned so far

and maybe Ferrari's been running slightly detuned so far

and maybe Red Bull hasn't.

So, you know, everybody's playing games a little bit.

Everybody's trying to game the system.

Now, we know that beginning of June, I believe it is,

that's when they're going to be changing the way that they

essentially check the compression ratios for the cars out there.

So the cars teams will be able to tweak their engines a bit.

Have the FIA said that you can essentially

re-homologate your engine

and essentially produce something completely new?

And does that mean that come June,

we'll now see teams that may be struggling like, for example,

Aston Martin with that Honda.

They might be able to completely change up their engine design,

their power unit design,

and come back very, very strong early to midway through the season,

or is that too far-fetched?

If you were that far off that you were able to get that allowance,

in theory, yes, it would be possible to come back

with an all-new design.

And if you would learn enough in that short period of time,

but engines are very long-lead items,

so it's not really a realistic expectation that that would happen.

Yeah, we'll see some changes, but not full-blown

with a new engine design coming out in the last four months.

If you want to stay across to everything that's going on

in Formula One, go to multiplemagazine.com,

and there you can sign up to the F1 newsletter.

By doing that, you'll get the newsletter into your email inbox,

and then you'll get all the latest news.

Your fingertips at any time you like to at the course of the season.

Now, Mark, we will get through other things, I'm sure,

but I want to touch on Max Verstappen.

Again, we mentioned Max Verstappen last week,

in fact, talking about his future.

We seem to be talking about Max Verstappen's future a lot.

Max Verstappen was at Paul Ricard with his GT3 team.

Just there was an onlooker, really, which was nice.

He didn't want to be interviewed.

He didn't want anything to do with the media,

with his day off after all.

But there was that big news that came out just a couple of days ago

that Jampiero Lambiasi is leaving Red Bull.

Could you give us a bit of an idea of who he is

and the significance of him to Max Verstappen?

Jampiero Lambiasi has been Max's race engineer ever since Max

joined the senior Red Bull team from Toro Rosso in 2016.

They have this fantastic, quite combative relationship

and he really sort of guides Max when Max's emotions

get the better of him and keep some point on the straight

and narrow and is very good at understanding what it is

that Max is needing from the car and understanding the systems

and just being the interpreter of Max and the engineering team.

He is a super, super capable engineer and very ambitious

and I think he probably would like to establish his reputation

as something other than just a dead-dom to Max Verstappen,

to a driver, to be associated with a driver.

He'd like to, I think, and this move to McLaren

is a fantastic opportunity to do exactly that

and it puts him essentially just one below Andrea Stella.

And so would be the de facto deputy team principle.

That's not what they're going to call it

but that's essentially what it would be.

It's true to start there sometime in 2028

but when both teams make an announcement

at the same time like that and they say that

and it's usually the starting part of a negotiation

for when he will actually start

and you'd expect it actually probably to be a bit sooner than that.

Whether, I'm sure it's not come as a surprise to Max.

I think he's probably long understood that GP has got ambitions

beyond just being his race engineer

and in fact he stayed on as his race engineer

when he was promoted last year to chief of track-side engineer.

So he stayed on just because to keep that relationship going

because Max, that's what Max wanted

but I think it won't come as a surprise to Max

and with Max considering his future anyway

talking about maybe stopping at the end of this year

really what does he care where GP decides to go

if it's at some time in the future.

So I don't think it's tied in to Max's plans

that would be my reading of it.

I think it's purely Lambiasi's own ambition

and making his own career really.

I want to come back to a point that you've kind of alluded to

just there in just a bit.

I've got a question from the audience

that actually fits in very nicely to what you've just said

so I'm going to come back to that

and you'll find out why in just a bit

but Red Bull have had a lot of people leave

upper management, very top level people leave

over the last few seasons or so

and Christian Horner, Helmut Mark, I've got a list here

Jonathan Wheatley, Rob Marshall, Will Courtney

now GP as well.

They've got a very, very strong, very deep pool of talent

but surely there's going to come a time where

if the talent keeps leaving

that pool is going to get shallower

and shallower and shallower

it's going to be hollowed out.

Is there a danger of that

or will they just keep replacing them

with the next great to come through?

I think as long as they run different departments

there's not like a run on departures in one department

it probably won't be that catastrophic

but in terms of the number of

the sheer weight of numbers of people leaving

it was all really triggered by

the management changes

following the passing of Deirdre Mattisage

and the complete structural change

of how the team was run

that followed it in the wake of his death

and this is just a continued fallout from that

I don't mean specifically GP

but just the resettling of where people want to be

and where they see their futures

I think this is all continuing fallout from there

so it goes back a few years

but I don't think that it's necessarily

you're necessarily seeing a once great team

dwindle away into ever less competitiveness

having a very tough time at the moment

but I think there's every reason to believe

that they have every facility

and pool of talent there to remain a top team

Do you think Max irrespective of what he thinks of the car

do you think he still enjoys

the working for that organisation

and with the management team that's there?

Max has always been

even though he's been joined at the hip to Red Bull

forever

he still doesn't see himself as part of the fabric

of a team in the way say

Michael Schumack used to be at Ferrari

or even Lewis Hamilton or Mercedes

I think it's more this is where he is

well initially it was the team

that was able to bring him straight into F1

and Mercedes couldn't

so that Mercedes was planning on

giving him a season in GP2

and then Formula 2

and then a season maybe with a lesser team

whereas Red Bull would give him the route to get straight into F1

so straight away he's loyally

he had some loyalty to them

but I think he's always been

him and Andy's management team

have always been very aware of his own

market value

and where his best

long-term opportunities lay

and

it took a while for the whole combination to come together

took a few years

but I think once it started firing on all cylinders

there was no reason for him to be looking anywhere else

and it's only now that

he has reason

with all that achievement behind him

it's only now he's got reason to be thinking

I'm not enjoying this, I don't like the cars

this car isn't very competitive

I want to do other stuff

you know

now would be the time that that would be triggered

but I don't think

he's stayed there this long just through loyally

I think he's stayed there this long

because it's been the best team

well

I'm going to come to Max again in just a few moments time

but a quick reminder to you that

the section coming up

the readers, the viewers, the listeners questions

you can get your questions into Mark

you can also as I said before

go to motorsportmagazine.com

and subscribe to the F1 newsletter and get all the latest

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the news is

time for us now to move on to the

audience questions and it goes straight

into Max Verstappen

this is why I didn't bring it up at all

but to get to know our audience questions

This is this is why I didn't bring up a moment ago. This is with JP going to one of of Max Verstappen's rivals out on the grid

Oscar Piaz tree Landon Norris was one of those

Maybe under threat. This is a question from Steven Taylor

Are they under threat from Max Verstappen for their seats at McLaren from 2028 onwards?

from 28 onwards

Well, that's supposing that they both still there anyway from 28 onwards I

Think I

Don't think Max is looking to get out of Red Bull because he wants to go to McLaren. That's that's the first point

But if he say he stops at the end of this year

Which is suggest if he might and then has a break and then he sees that the cars have got better

And then he might start looking around at where the opportunities are and then yes

Anybody in a top team would feel threatened by a Max Verstappen being on the market

But I don't think they

Specifically need to be worried about the idea that he wants to be in McLaren. I don't think that's the case

So it might be one of these things is good for GP

It might be good for him to kind of move on and get away from Max and Max to get away from him as well

It might be it might be the perfect time for the Max to disappear off and go into his GT3 world

where he's got his team and

Work and things like that but it'd be nice to keep Max in the sport for a bit longer

Wouldn't it and be nice to give Oscar Piastri and Nando Norris in the sport for a bit longer than one of the top seats too

So a good question Steven next one is from Jimmy Jimmy Lyle. I think it is Jimmy Lyle if I've got your name wrong

I do apologize

It's Mark one thing that concerns me about

Qualifying is how in Q3 when it comes down to the last few minutes of the session drivers going out for their last

Run seem to slow down or even stop at pick exit delaying those behind

Consequently it could cause drivers at the rear of the line not to be able to make it around to start their final run

Is there a rule to prevent this? If not, why not?

There's not a rule to prevent it

But how the situation has arisen is as a result of a rule that

Was imposed to stop the cars

having these big

gaps out on track

Cars trying to make space for themselves out on track and thereby being much slower than cars

Which are already embarking on laps. So this said in order to address that you got a

Do your gap actually in the pit lane

So if you want to gap to the car ahead you've got to wait in the pit lane which obviously has a

Cascading effect as you go down the queue

So as everybody tries to do that that sort of

Constantine as you and you get a bigger and bigger and bigger delay

So if you want to avoid that you just got to get out early

But if you want to try and take advantage of the track at its grippiest

Which is typically right and then dying seconds then you'd gamble on that. So I don't think I

Don't think there's going to be a rule which cancels that rule because then it would create

It would create the problem we had in the first place

The final question then is from Perry Brown. He says

So far in the first three races

It seems that the speed Delta under deployment between two battling cars is when the cars have two different power unit suppliers

The racing between similarly powered cars Mercedes and McLaren for example appears closer

Could the Delta be exacerbated by differences in where the units choose to harvest and deploy if so

Could a potential solution to the dangerous closing speeds be to share and standardize where possible the engine maps

Kamatsu said very well informed by the way Perry Kamatsu said when they saw the speed Delta between Berman and Colopinto

And there's on the lap before their incident

So the Mercedes PU was clipping where the Ferrari PU was deploying

Yeah, I think

Well, first of all you do see

this type of racing also between

cars with the same engine

We've we've seen

Mercedes and McLaren battles. We've seen in routine Ferrari battles, but yeah, I think

Probably there is more of an offset between two different types of engine

I don't think you could

really solve it by imposing

how you

you know, you how you deployed and harvested because

the most efficient way of doing it will be determined by the mechanical layout of the engine and

For example, the Mercedes has got a much bigger turbo than the Ferrari. So the most efficient

way of

maximizing the use of energy through the lap won't be the same bits of track between those two engines

So you you really you would be seriously

Disadvantaging one of them over the other if you standardized where they could do it. So

No, it's not really practical. I think I think the closing speed

problem has to be addressed

through

like a

more graded

A more graded come down on the on the on the deployment and so

So it's not suddenly like you switch off

You go from an extra 500 horsepower almost to an extra nothing and the car behind still got the extra 500 horsepower

I think that's that's what makes it dangerous. It's I think if it was graded a little bit that that's all it would be required

I don't think you could really

Legislate for around different mechanical layout

It's a good question. No, and

Said earlier on a thing mark that everyone's got different ideas for how to fix the situation

That's one of the the big problems that the formula one is is facing at the moment

But this time next week this time next episode maybe we'll have all the answers and we can put it to bed for the final time

this month

Yeah, then we'd be looking ahead to how it's gonna put out in Miami with these new set of tweet rules

Yeah

Well, that'd be nice at least at least though Miami is going to happen

That's one sure thing Miami is about is going to happen soon not soon enough, but it is going to happen soon mark as always

Thank you very much indeed. Thank you. Thank you for the great questions. Thank you for the readers questions. That's great

So thanks very much there to mark and thank you to you as well for tuning in watching listening

Don't forget to like and subscribe tell your friends. It's a new show

We'd like to have as many more fans and followers and viewers and listeners as possible

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About this episode

Mark Hughes breaks down F1’s 2026 relaunch momentum: rule changes are being agreed ahead of the Miami GP, with two key areas likely to shift on the electrical side—energy deployment limits, harvesting rate, and battery storage—while any big ICE power increase is politically and technically harder. He also explains the “additional development upgrade” system (time, dyno allowance, and re-homologation thresholds) and why teams will game the measurements. Later, the show turns to Max Verstappen’s engineer J.P. Lambiasi moving to McLaren, plus audience questions on qualifying traffic and dangerous closing speeds.

aerodynamic veins Andrea Stella Aston Martin back pressure battery storage braking zone closing speed problem combine two completely different energy sources in one car compression ratios cost cap allowances

Original notes

This week's crunch F1 meeting looks likely to alter the energy split of the new power units: Mark Hughes examines who will be the big winners and losers, and asks what F1’s crisis of its own making says about the state of the sport?

Plus: What is ADUO and why is it so important? And the real reason Max Verstappen’s engineer is moving to McLaren

More from Mark Hughes and Bryn Lucas on the stories that really matter, in the latest episode of the Motor Sport F1 Show.

Subscribe now for every weekly episode and tell us what you want to know from Mark. Send us a message on social media or find this podcast at https://go.motorsportmagazine.com/4mE8A6E and drop your questions in the comments. He'll answer a selection of the best every week.

Read Mark's column every Wednesday at https://go.motorsportmagazine.com/4mE8A6E

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