On Tuesday, an F1 Commission meeting chaired by FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem took place in London, where a number of key issues were discussed.
Firstly, Formula 1 and all teams agreed to increase the number of Sprint Races in 2023 to six, and will follow the same format as this year.
Although agreeing to the increase in Sprint Races, in principle, the FIA still needs time to evaluate how and/or if it will effect trackside operations and personnel. Once they have completed their investigations they will provide feedback and confirmation, one way or the other.
Elsewhere, F1 outlined its main objectives for the new-for-2026 Power Units, which is set to be the first major PU alteration since the start of the turbo-hybrid era in 2014.
The main objectives of the 2026 power units focus on four key areas; maintaining the spectacle, environmental sustainability, financial sustainability and attracting new power unit manufacturers.
The regulatory framework for the 2026 power units is continually developing, however, at today’s meeting the FIA established a set of preliminary targets following simulation work conducted by its aerodynamic department:
- Significantly reduced drag to improve sustainability and efficiency and complement the Power Unit characteristics.
- Maintain and improve on recent lessons learned about close racing and cars being able to follow each other.
- Reduce car dimensions.
- Reduce or contain car mass.
- Sustainability: Continue path towards the standardisation or simplification of strategically-selected components for cost-cutting purposes. Expand the usage of sustainable materials or technologies and focus on recyclability.
- Continued innovation in terms of car safety, moving towards active and connected safety systems.
F1 also wants to expand its use of helmet cameras, mandating the use of these helmet cameras from 2023 onwards.
The latest generation of helmet cameras have proved a hit, following their trial over the last few events. Fans have given positive feedback to the camera usage being a valuable addition to the Grand Prix broadcast.
It was also unanimously agreed to trial the reduction of allocated tyres at two races, from 13 to 11, in 2023 to assess the outcome on track running. This is in alignment with the Commission’s target of moving to more sustainable tyre usage in the future.
