Overview
- The FIA issued updated technical guidance on Tuesday that bars teams from using an emergency MGU-K shutdown as a late-lap boost in qualifying.
- Mercedes- and Red Bull-powered entries had been cutting the MGU-K, the motor-generator that adds electric power, to skip the required ramp-down and gain about 50–100 kW for a few final seconds worth hundredths of a second.
- The clampdown follows practice sessions in Australia and Japan where cars slowed dramatically after the 60-second MGU-K lockout, with Alex Albon stopping on track and Max Verstappen and Kimi Antonelli losing power.
- Ferrari asked the FIA to review the tactic on safety and fairness grounds, and officials will use telemetry to verify that any shutdowns come from genuine technical problems.
- Teams risk disqualification or grid penalties if data shows non-emergency use, according to reports, while the emergency function and its 60-second lockout remain in the rulebook.