Autobayng News Team
One of the more peculiar characteristics introduced by Formula 1’s 2026 regulations remained a concern for drivers following the changes introduced last weekend.
After last weekend’s two qualifying sessions drivers pointed out the power unit rules still penalise them for pushing too hard on flying laps.
McLaren’s Oscar Piastri said F1 has gone some way towards reducing the ‘super-clipping’ seen at previous races – a characteristic which was widely expected to be a less serious problem given the configuration of the Miami circuit. However he pointed out other problems with the new rules remained.
“In terms of lowering the harvest limit and meaning we have a little bit less super-clipping, that is better,” Piastri told Viaplay. “But a lot of the other problems are still the same.
“You have to go quicker very carefully to make sure you don’t just use a whole bunch of energy still. So some things are a little bit better but some things are exactly the same.”
He said he was caught out by a surprising loss of power at the end of his final flying lap in Saturday’s qualifying session. “It was just very, very weird in some ways,” Piastri explained.
“In Q1 we were struggling with a few things not working as we expected. Q2 seemed pretty good and then in Q3, the first lap wasn’t great. Then the second lap, a few areas weren’t great, and then a few areas some weird stuff happened with a massive super-clip when I didn’t expect.”
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and
Piastri’s team mate Lando Norris also said the engines “penalised” them for getting on the throttle earlier at the exit of corners.
The problem is not only a concern for those at the sharp end of the grid. In the midfield Alexander Albon qualified almost four tenths of a second slower than team mate Carlos Sainz Jnr due to what team principal James Vowles called a “minor” difference in throttle use.
“For Alex, we have been suffering from inconsistency on speed across the start/finish line,” Vowles explained. “There is a lot we’re asking the drivers to do to get everything prepared down the back straight, with a sequence of actions needed to get everything spot-on.
“When you do that, the performance differential can be extreme. In the case of Alex, he had some traffic and with a minor change in throttle application, this meant that he started the lap losing a few tenths, which cost him the position to where he should’ve been.”
Miss nothing from RaceFans
Get a daily email with all our latest stories – and nothing else. No marketing, no ads. Sign up here:
2026 Miami Grand Prix
- Miami stats: Mercedes have now won at every track on the F1 calendar – so far
- F1 drivers say they are still at the mercy of their power units over a flying lap
- McLaren’s Miami GP radio messages show the scars of Qatar GP tactical error
- ‘This is not the level F1 should be’: Norris tells F1 to ‘ditch the battery’
- Lawson was right: Racing Bulls should not have ordered him to let Verstappen past
Published by
Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 – when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring journalist, Keith began running the site full-time in 2010, achieving a long-held ambition to dedicate his full attention to his passion for motor racing. View all posts by Keith Collantine
