Formula One teams and stakeholders agreed unanimously on Monday to engine rule tweaks aimed at improving racing and driver safety from the next race in Miami on May 3.
The sport this season started a new era, with the hybrid power units now split roughly 50-50 between electric and combustion power.
But since the opening race in Australia, it has led to complaints from the drivers that their skills were being diminished.
What are the issues?
Some drivers have complained over the first three races about having to 'lift and coast' into high-speed corners so the combustion engine can recharge the battery, and have aired safety concerns regarding the start and speed differentials during the race.
Four-time world champion Max Verstappen had even gone as far as to say that he was considering his future in F1 as a result of his dissatisfaction with the new cars.
Drivers have also had to contend with 'super-clipping', where the power unit automatically diverts energy from the engine to the battery, slowing down the car even if the driver is flat on the throttle.
What are the changes in qualifying?
The governing body FIA said in a statement that an online meeting with the 11 team bosses, power unit CEOs and Formula One had agreed a number of in-season “refinements” that would now be put to a virtual vote.
“The proposals agreed today … will be implemented from Miami apart from the race start changes that will be tested in Miami and adopted following feedback and analysis,” it said.
The changes include modifications to the way the engines operate, aimed at allowing drivers to push to the limit in qualifying and reduce the risk of large speed differentials in races.
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff had earlier told reporters ahead of the meeting changes needed to be made “with a scalpel and not with a baseball bat”.
The FIA said energy management parameters would be adjusted for qualifying, a key area of concern, with a reduction in maximum permitted recharge from eight megajoules to seven to encourage more consistent flat-out driving and peak 'super-clip' power increased from 250kW to 350kW to reduce the time spent recharging.
The FIA said the aim of these changes was to ensure the maximum time spent super-clipping on a qualifying lap was in the region of two to four seconds.
What about during a race?
In the race, measures were introduced to reduce excessive closing speeds and limit sudden performance differentials with the maximum power available through boost capped at an additional 150kW.
This was a key contributing factor in the high-speed crash involving Haas driver Oliver Bearman in the Japanese Grand Prix, as the Briton avoided the Alpine of Franco Colapinto after the Argentine drifted off line to discourage a passing attempt.
A new system has been developed and will be trialled to mitigate the risks of a slow-starting car being struck by a faster one close behind as well as measures to improve safety and visibility in the wet.
“These are sensible changes and the teams, FIA and Formula One have done good work over the past few weeks to agree them,” said Williams boss James Vowles on social media.
“F1 has seen some great racing so far this year, but it is right that we always look at ways to keep improving.”
Wet conditions
New rules will allow for an increase in temperature of tyre blankets “to improve initial grip and tyre performance in wet conditions”.
Maximum levels of electrical deployment will be reduced to limit torque and improve car control. The exact limit has not yet been revealed.
A “simplification” of rear light systems will allow “clearer and more consistent visual cues to improve visibility and reaction time for following drivers in poor conditions”.
