Apr.15 (GMM) The FIA has moved quickly to ban a controversial qualifying ‘trick’ following media reports earlier this month.
Multiple outlets including Auto Motor und Sport and La Gazzetta dello Sport confirm that Mercedes and Red Bull had been exploiting a loophole in the 2026 energy management rules.
At the time, it emerged that teams were experimenting with aggressive deployment of electrical energy, using full battery power deep into a lap before triggering a sudden cut-off – resulting in unpredictable behaviour and a 60-second lockout of the MGU-K system.
Now, the governing body has stepped in.
According to Auto Motor und Sport, the “dangerous” trick involved activating a built-in ’emergency mode’ – originally designed to protect hardware – to override the mandated gradual reduction in power as battery charge drops. Instead of tapering off in controlled 50 kW steps, drivers could extract maximum power until the very last moment.
The advantage was small but crucial in qualifying, where “the final meters to the finish line can be covered with maximum energy, which can save crucial hundredths of a second,” f1-insider.com reported.
However, the safety implications quickly became clear.
Cars were suddenly slowing after hot laps due to the 60-second MGU-K shutdown, creating large speed differentials – a concern already heightened by the extreme energy management characteristics of the 2026 cars.
Amid the April break, the FIA has acted decisively.
Teams have now been warned that the emergency mode must only be used in genuine technical situations, with telemetry set to be closely monitored and penalties issued for misuse.
The underlying mechanism itself remains legal, but its exploitation for performance gain has effectively been outlawed.