search wrote: ↑01 May 2026, 23:28
it's the first time this year that Verstappen is fast in qualifying, so maybe the rule changes are paying off a bit already.
Rule changes don't apply this weekend.
During the extended break, the FIA confirmed a number of changes to the regulations aimed at improving the flat-out nature of qualifying and addressing a number of safety issues.
A release issued at the time noted “a reduction in maximum permitted recharge from 8MJ to 7MJ, aimed at reducing excessive harvesting and encouraging more consistent flat-out driving. This change targets a maximum superclip duration reduced to approximately 2-4 seconds per lap.”
In addition, super clips would be increased from 250kW to 350kW in an effort to reduce their duration.
A Power Unit Information document issued to teams on Thursday in Miami outlined that there is no change to the maximum recharge per lap this weekend, which appeared at odds with the FIA statement.
The document outlines that, in the sprint and race, 9 MJ is available with Overtake active, else drivers have access to 8.5 MJ of recharge per lap. In qualifying that is 8 MJ, and 9 MJ during practice.
Approached for clarification by PlanetF1.com, the FIA has confirmed that the rule change has not been a blanket reduction in the maximum recharge, but the ability for officials to lower the permitted maximum to 7 MJ at some events.
For Miami, with only around two seconds of super clipping expected over the course of a lap, officials opted to leave maximum recharge unchanged. At other venues, that figure can be reduced where super clipping would be more invasive.
https://www.planetf1.com/news/fia-miami ... rification
