Lawson explains F1's 2026 energy-first shift

Liam Lawson says Formula 1’s 2026 rules have changed race-weekend preparation so sharply that teams now spend less time chasing traditional setup gains and far more time managing the power unit and energy deployment.

The Racing Bulls driver described the new rules as “the biggest regulatory change in the history of the sport” because of the 50/50 split between internal combustion and electrification. In Lawson’s view, that has moved the biggest source of lap time away from the car itself and toward how teams use the new power-unit package.

Speaking to select media including RacingNews365, Lawson said that in previous seasons the questions before a grand prix were centered on setup, downforce, ride height and suspension. “You come to a race track and it's all about setup on the car, downforce levels,” he said. “What are we running? Where are we running the car ride-height-wise and suspension-wise? And this year, it's so much more about the power unit.”

That means teams such as Racing Bulls are now prioritizing how to run the power unit, how to manage energy, where to deploy it and when to rely on lift and coast. Lawson said engineers are also digging into gear usage, charging phases and deployment points because “there's so much more lap time there, and a lot less time is spent on the actual car.”

His description of the shift comes as the wider paddock is already debating whether the formula needs changing again. The FIA is exploring a move away from the current equal split toward 60% thermal power and 40% electric power from 2027 after criticism that the present concept creates too much energy management.

That push is not straightforward. Audi, Ferrari and Honda are described as favoring a delay until 2028, which leaves any rapid change dependent on broader manufacturer support. Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies said he remains confident the sport will find common ground “to improve the racing” and avoid turning the issue into “a recurring debate,” underlining how quickly the 2026 power-unit format has become both a performance question in the garage and a political one for F1’s next rules cycle.