F1 to consider changes to rules as drivers critical of new battery regulations

[p]The third race of ⁠the sport's new engine era exposed the shortcomings of the rules overhaul, billed as Formula One's most sweeping ever, in a way the first two in Australia and China ‌had not.[/p][p]The hybrid power units, now split nearly 50-50 between electric and combustion power, have introduced an element of energy management ‌to the racing, with fresh challenges for drivers.[/p][p]They are having to tactically 'lift and coast', easing ‌off the throttle early and coasting into a corner, so the combustion engine can recharge the battery.[/p][p]They are ‌also having 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.[/p][h2]'Hurts your soul'[/h2][p]Formula One's governing body said meetings to take stock of the new rules would take place during the ‌April break created by the cancellation of races in Bahrain ⁠and Saudi Arabia due to conflict in the region.[/p][p]The ‌FIA had already moved to tweak energy management rules to allow drivers to push harder for Suzuka qualifying.[/p][p][b]"Any ​potential adjustments, particularly those related to energy management, require careful simulation and detailed analysis," it said in a statement.[/b][/p][embed guid="1f3f0582-bc0a-4e51-b31d-3826f95356f6" url="https://x.com/Motorsport/status/2038292159573496053" social-type="twitter" /][p]Red Bull's four-times champion [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/verstappen-max/UV3mgeXB/"]Verstappen[/a], "beyond frustrated" after qualifying, told [b][i]BBC ​Radio [/i][/b]after Sunday's race that he was considering his future in the sport, as he wasn't enjoying driving the new cars.[/p][p][b]"It still hurts your soul when you see your speed dropping so ⁠much, 56 kph down the straight," ​said McLaren's reigning champion, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/norris-lando/WSVABbVF/"]Lando Norris[/a], after qualifying.[/b][/p][p][b]"Driver skill is not really needed anymore," declared Aston Martin's double world champion, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/alonso-fernando/rVRhR90U/"]Fernando Alonso[/a], who at the pre-season test in Bahrain, sarcastically remarked that the team's chef could now drive the car.[/b][/p][p]Ferrari's [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/leclerc-charles/KlCOSRub/"]Charles Leclerc[/a] was left frustrated after going up against the algorithm ‌governing the energy deployment-recharge equation.[/p][p]The algorithm's calculations can be upset by unintended driver inputs, like easing off the throttle to correct a slide, leaving the driver unexpectedly short of power.[/p][p]Even if they have taken away from the 'white-knuckle' spectacle of qualifying, the new rules have spiced up the racing action, with drivers passing and repassing each other as their cars take turns deploying and harvesting electrical energy.[/p][p]Seven-time world champion [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/hamilton-lewis/tI5Vpe1h/"]Lewis Hamilton[/a], resurgent after a nightmare first season with Ferrari last year, has been vocal in his praise for the racing the new rules have created.[/p][p]On Sunday, however, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/bearman-oliver/tMI3u5xo/"]Oliver Bearman[/a]'s crash highlighted the safety risks of this form of racing, made possible by the speed ‌differentials created between cars.[/p][p]It unfolded as the Haas driver approached Alpine's [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/colapinto-franco/GzFqySBA/"]Franco Colapinto[/a] with a 50kph ​difference in speed between the two cars.[/p][p]As the Briton swerved left to avoid contact, the ‌car went onto the grass and through a marker board as the 20-year-old lost control at 308kph.[/p][p]The incident sparked calls for change, with Williams racer and Grand Prix Drivers' Association director Carlos Sainz especially vocal.[/p][p]Toto Wolff, boss of dominant Mercedes, said some of the reaction after qualifying had been over-exaggerated, while Williams boss James Vowles said the sport needed to ⁠spice up qualifying without compromising on the racing.[/p][p][b]"I ⁠think it's tuneable from where we are," ‌he said. "We just need to take care to make sure we tune it in the right ​way."[/b][/p]