“Lesson learned” – the mindset F1 and the FIA need for the next rule change

A question I have been asked several times this week, following the tweaks ahead of the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix, is: what does it say about the current regulations that they already require adjustments after just three race weekends, albeit with ‘refinements’ as the FIA calls them?

In answering that, it should first be noted that these are relatively small tweaks, and secondly that the FIA has always said this. During several interviews with Nikolas Tombazis last year, the single-seater director indicated that part of the regulations would still be a ‘work in progress’ and that the FIA would keep certain ‘levers’ to play with, depending on what the real picture on track would look like.

The parameters he mentioned are exactly the adjustments being made now, although no major effect should be expected when it comes to the overall picture.

Ahead of the meeting, two topics were at the top of the priority list: making qualifying more on the limit again (by reducing the harvesting limit and therefore making the cars slightly slower) and improving safety by addressing the closing speeds. Those exact elements are reflected in the tweaks, although they will not fundamentally change the overall product.

Interventions that would go further and affect the racing are politically far more sensitive. It is no coincidence that Toto Wolff spoke of using a scalpel rather than a baseball bat, which is understandable from a Mercedes perspective - where the homework has been done after a difficult ground effect era, and now is the time to reap the rewards. Secondly, both the FIA and F1 believe that the racing itself - despite complaints about yo-yo racing - does not require a ‘knee-jerk reaction’.

A different reality in the automotive industry

To fully understand how F1 arrived at this point, we need to go back to how these regulations came about and the political reality at the time. The trends in the automotive industry looked different back then, and the sport partly aligned itself with those, as CEO Stefano Domenicali acknowledged during an interview with Autosport.

The direction of the automotive industry was a large factor in deciding F1's new regulations

Photo by: Alex Bierens de Haan / Getty Images

“Five years ago - it seems 50 years ago - the manufacturers thought that the only way to progress and to be involved in motorsport was the 50:50 [split], electric, or trying to find the right balance between the internal combustion engine and electrification. That was the starting point. That's why we are here today to discuss the regulations,” the Italian said.

To bring Audi and Honda on board and to maintain broader relevance, F1 and the FIA partly followed that path. Given the political reality at the time and the automotive industry, it was to some extent understandable, especially as there appeared to be no viable alternatives, according to Domenicali.

“I could be even more direct,” he added. “If we would have had an independent manufacturer, we could have said, ‘you know what, let's offer a white label F1, FIA engine to the teams who want to race and let's go for it’. But we didn't. There was no one at that time like the old Ford Cosworth, the independent engine and so on. That's the status of five years ago.”

"Electrification has shifted versus hybridisation and everyone understands that if sustainable fuel will be there in terms of quantity with the right pricing, it could be the way to be realistically ready to tackle the emission point" Stefano Domenicali

To maintain broad support among manufacturers, this path was chosen, but it has made the overall package a lot more complex. That complexity was further increased by the fact that the chassis regulations were designed after the power unit regulations had been finalised.

It is what Red Bull technical director Pierre Wache described as “patch on patch”. One thing led to another. Because the engine formula required significantly less drag, active aerodynamics became necessary. That, however, removed DRS as an overtaking aid, which meant an alternative had to be introduced. And so the overall product became increasingly complex – and in practice increasingly centred around energy management.

By 2026, the reality in the automotive world looks somewhat different. Regulations from the European Union have been adjusted, and Ford told Autosport that its strategy for road cars has changed. The initial plan was to stop producing cars powered solely by internal combustion engines, but Mark Rushbrook has since confirmed that this decision has been reversed.

Ford made its return to F1 in 2026 as a technical partner of Red Bull

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

It is a development that Domenicali also recognises. “Now it's clear that electrification has shifted versus hybridisation,” he said. “And everyone understands that if sustainable fuel will be there in terms of quantity with the right pricing, it could be the way to be realistically ready to tackle the emission point.”

In addition, another aspect has become clear in recent years. It has once again been shown that manufacturers can change their commercial strategy - including F1 participation - from one moment to the next, depending on external factors.

“Look what they did at Renault,” Domenicali rightly pointed out. “Renault was part of the table in deciding this kind of engine and then they took a decision to leave. That's what I'm saying. We cannot be in a situation where the crisis of the market can bring certain difficult decisions for the manufacturer to give priority to other initiatives. Therefore, we have to protect that.”

The need for a ‘framework’ ahead of the next cycle

All of these are lessons the FIA and F1 can take into the future. It is no coincidence that Domenicali literally used the words “lesson learned” during the Autosport interview in London. It means that the next cycle will, given the current state of affairs, most likely look different.

“I definitely see, personally, but it's up to the FIA of course to propose that, a sort of sustainable fuel at the centre of the future, with a different balance of what could be the electrification in the future with a strong internal combustion engine,” he said.

Perhaps even more important than the actual formula – possibly even a V8 running on sustainable fuels with a smaller electrical component – is the mindset behind it. Despite the fact that OEMs remain crucial to F1, the pinnacle of motorsport has learned that it cannot allow itself to be “put into a corner”, as Domenicali described it.

Renault made a late decision to leave F1 as an engine marque at the end of 2025, meaning Alpine is now a Mercedes customer

Photo by: Alpine

“Manufacturers are a vital piece of what we are doing,” said Domenicali. “We need to thank them every day and every night because without them it would be impossible. But we cannot be anymore in a corner where manufacturers can dictate the pace to the sport. That's a lesson learned that I think that will enable us, together with the FIA that is the main regulator, to find the right package that allows the two worlds to live, to co-exist.”

In practical terms, this means that the FIA and F1 must have their own technical vision for the future of the championship. Domenicali referred to this as “the framework”. Based on discussions with manufacturers, that framework can logically be refined, but only in a way that the fundamental principles remain intact and align with the DNA of the sport. In that way, a set of regulations can be created that is more widely supported than the current one and better aligned with the wishes of purists – not only die-hard fans, but also drivers.

“We cannot lose too much time because time is passing so quickly. We need to be robust enough to allow us not to be in a corner, we need to decide as soon as possible" Stefano Domenicali

It is exactly the lesson that can be drawn from recent years and exactly the mindset that is needed for the next cycle. That cycle is formally set to begin in 2031, but it could logically be brought forward if there is sufficient support to do so. However, that must be weighed against the enormous investments already made by manufacturers and teams into the current regulations, and their depreciation.

Precisely because these are major themes, Domenicali believes that a path must be chosen relatively quickly - ideally this year, to define both the direction and the timing of implementation. “We cannot lose too much time because time is passing so quickly. We need to be robust enough to allow us not to be in a corner, we need to decide as soon as possible.”

In all those discussions and future decisions, the experience of recent years must be firmly kept in mind. And based on Domenicali’s words - “lesson learned” - there is reason to hope that this will indeed be the case. It will not change the situation overnight, but it does offer hope for the long-term future of F1.

"Lesson learned" - F1 is already thinking about what it can do better for the next set of regulations

Photo by: Motorsport Network