F1 teams 26 unexpectedly high downforce levels cause energy management issues

[John S]

Methinks it's a known fact brains in the teams can run rings round the ringmasters and it's hardly a suprise that they've found more downforce than anticipated (see paras from The Race below), but why then are there so many complaints about the energy management problems on track from the teams & drivers?   

Sure the FIA should do a better job with regs to prevent the baying F1 pack from outsmarting them, but teams also have to realise they are part of a homogeneous system and need to cede ground, or downforce, in pursuit of better racing.

If things look difficult now how will it look when teams designers add even more downforce through the season? 

The FIA's single-seater director Nikolas Tombazis revealed recently that some of the current energy-management issues experienced by drivers were because teams had produced cars that were performing at a higher level than motorsport's governing body anticipated.

Analysis of the early 2026 races has highlighted that the performance of cars through corners is having a big influence on the amount of energy available, because the quicker the cars are through turns the less they can harvest.

Asked by 'The Race' about cars not having enough energy to run as flat-out as some want, Tombazis said: "One of the reasons it hasn't been right there from the start is that cars are going a bit faster [than anticipated].
"They [the teams] have found a bit more downforce than we were expecting, and therefore the energy recovered during braking is a bit lower than it would normally be.

The FIA's single-seater director Nikolas Tombazis revealed recently that some of the current energy-management issues experienced by drivers were because teams had produced cars that were performing at a higher level than motorsport's governing body anticipated. 

The concern is that with teams having already produced cars that are delivering higher aerodynamic loads than expected, rapid gains over this season and into next year could push things too far.

Above paras taken from a longer piece, courtesy The-race.com by Jon Noble on 05 May 2026.