26/04/2026

theSun on Sunday APR 26, 2026

SPORTS 12

Will tweaks keep Max in F1? BY KIERAN JACKSON Just three rounds into 2026 season, FIA set to ratify new regulations for Miami race

lateral flashing lights, will also be implemented, while cars will no longer arrive on the grid with depleted battery levels after the formation lap. WILL CHANGES KEEP MAX VERSTAPPEN IN FORMULA 1? Verstappen has spoken in depth about his disdain for the new regulations and the focus on energy management. These changes will, no doubt, help his desire for a more traditional way of driving a Formula 1 car – but they will not completely revert the cars to the status quo. Excruciatingly, “lift and coast” in qualifying will still occur. Drivers will also still have numerous overtaking aids in-race, despite Verstappen describing the new racing as “like Mario Kart.” The other obvious factor is Red Bull’s issues. His team have experienced problems so far this season in their new engine partnership with Ford and are currently sixth in the constructors’ standings. Verstappen is ninth in the driver standings. If he’s outside the top two by the summer break, he will be able to activate an exit from his £50m-a-year (RM260m) Red Bull contract, which currently expires at the end of 2028. This correspondent believes that Verstappen should take a one-year sabbatical at the end of this season, returning in 2028 with his (likely) pick of the teams and perhaps a further revamped set of regulations. The next few months, with the development of the rules and Red Bull’s performance, will go some way to telling us if F1 can keep their star driver in the sport beyond this campaign. The Independent

of energy – while Colapinto’s battery was depleted. As such, the British driver took evasive action to avoid hitting Colapinto’s car, but then lost control at 307kph and spun into the barrier. The FIA have made changes: drivers will still be able to deploy 350kw in “straight-line mode” zones, but not elsewhere on a lap (i.e. in a corner). They will be limited to 250kw in other parts of the lap. In addition, the boost button will be capped at 150kw or, if higher, the car’s existing deployment level. The FIA states: “These measures are designed to reduce excessive closing speeds while maintaining overtaking opportunities and overall performance characteristics.” RACE STARTS Ferrari have experienced an advantage at race starts over frontrunners Mercedes. They use a smaller turbocharger, mitigating the high turbo-lag other engines are experiencing. All cars have to hold higher revs for a longer period of time this season at lights out, which is why the new “blue light” starting procedure was introduced. F1 have now made further changes to avoid the potential of massive crashes on the starting grid, as a result of cars not getting away cleanly at all. In Miami, teams will trial a “low power start detection system” where cars with low acceleration will immediately be identified. If or when this happens, the MGU-K will automatically be deployed to ensure a “minimum level of acceleration and mitigate start-related risks without introducing any sporting advantage.” Visual warning systems, with rear and

push their machinery to the maximum in qualifying. To recharge the battery, drivers were being forced to “lift and coast” – taking their feet off the accelerator before braking for the corner – at the end of straights. In some cases, they were being forced to do so in qualifying (known for flat-out driving) due to depleted energy reserves. The FIA have made a change: the total amount of permitted recharge on a lap has been reduced from 8MJ (megajoules) to 7MJ. The aim here is that the amount of energy that needs to be recovered is less, so theoretically the amount of time required to recharge is also minimised, and thus “lift and coasting” is also reduced. Additionally, F1 have made changes to the “super-clipping” phenomenon – when the driver is fully on the throttle but not deploying the battery – and the maximum limit is now 350kw (kilowatts) as opposed to 250kw. One final tweak: the FIA have increased the number of circuits where an energy limit lower than 7MJ can be applied from eight to 12. These modifications won’t completely eradicate “lift and coast” or “superclipping.” But they should limit the requirements of drivers to do so. The FIA say of the intended impact of the changes: “They are aimed at reducing excessive harvesting and encouraging more consistent flat-out driving.” RACING SAFETY MEASURES Oliver Bearman’s massive crash at the last race in Japan came about because of a 50kph speed differential between his Haas car and Franco Colapinto’s Alpine in front. Bearman used the boost button on a corner with a full battery – using 350kw

FORMULA 1 has announced a series of regulation tweaks ahead of the next race in Miami on May 4. They still need to be ratified by the World Motorsport Council, yet that should just be a formality. However, can they keep their star driver in the sport long-term? New engine and chassis regulations, including a near 50/50 power unit split between internal combustion and electrical power, have received mixed reviews after the first three rounds of the 2026 season. While the likes of Mercedes and Ferrari – the two top teams – and their drivers have praised instances of thrilling wheel-to-wheel racing so far this year, other drivers and fans have lamented changes to driving styles, as well as shone a spotlight on safety concerns. Four-time F1 world champion Max Verstappen even stated after the last race in Japan that he is considering retiring from the sport at the end of the season, such is his dissatisfaction with elements of the new rules. The outspoken Dutchman has described the 2026 cars as “anti-racing” and “like Formula E on steroids.” Reigning world champion Lando Norris has also described overtaking as “artificial.” As a result of the five-week break between rounds three and four – due to the cancellation of races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia – F1 and its governing body, the FIA, announced new measures on Monday to address driver, team and fan concerns. But what are they – and how will they impact the sport? QUALIFYING ‘LIFT AND COAST’ Drivers across the board say they can’t

Oliver Bearman recently suffered a massive 50G crash during the 2026 Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka Circuit on March 29. – @skysports/X

Kohli makes Gujarat pay as Bengaluru cruise to IPL win

ball, yet he’s playing so freely. His innings was the difference in the first half and then I was trying to stay in the game so he wouldn’t feel the pressure.” Kohli continued to make merry, going past Abhishek Sharma to become the tourna ment’s leading scorer (328) and seize the Orange Cap. His dismissal, bowled off the inside edge by West Indian Jason Holder, sparked a mini collapse before Australian Tim David and Krunal Pandya got the job done with little fuss. –AFP

Rangy left-hander Padikkal did the early running with a stunning array of sixes as he used his long levers to great effect, with Kohli only marginally behind. Padikkal was the first to his half-century, off 20 deliveries, while Kohli took 30 balls to reach the landmark before the former was bowled by Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan. “Chasing 200 in the Chinnaswamy, we were just one partnership away,” Kohli remarked. “You never see him (Padikkal) slogging the

the season at this venue. Kohli was put down by Washington Sundar at mid-wicket off the first ball he faced from Mohammed Siraj, in the first over of the chase, and made Gujarat pay for their largesse with a thrilling exhibition of stroke-making. Bengaluru lost Englishman Jacob Bethell, playing his first game of the season in place of injured compatriot Phil Salt, in the third over. That was the cue for Kohli and Padikkal to put on a delightful exhibition of stroke-mak ing, marked by timing and silken grace rather than raw power.

VIRAT KOHLI punished Gujarat Titans for dropping him on nought with a blistering half century as Royal Challengers Bengaluru breezed to a five-wicket victory In the Indian Premier League on Friday. Left-handed opener Sai Sudharsan’s third IPL hundred was the cornerstone of Gujarat’s 205-3 on being put in by Rajat Patidar at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. But Kohli (81) and Devdutt Padikkal (55) tore into the bowling during a rollicking 115 run second-wicket stand to delight a full house in Bengaluru’s final league match of