Overview
- Reports indicate the post‑China review has been pushed to after the Japanese Grand Prix, with no significant rule changes planned before Suzuka as officials seek more multi‑circuit data during the calendar gap.
- Max Verstappen intensified his attack on the new era by calling the racing a “joke,” while Mercedes’ Toto Wolff argued his view is distorted by Red Bull’s “horror show” performance and said fan data shows strong engagement.
- Red Bull boss Laurent Mekies acknowledged “significant shortcomings” and confirmed a coolant fault caused Verstappen’s Shanghai retirement, with the team targeting the upcoming break to address reliability and pace.
- Drivers remain split on the format: Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc praised the wheel‑to‑wheel racing, though several, including Leclerc, say qualifying suffers from heavy energy management demands.
- Team bosses caution against a knee‑jerk response, with options under discussion such as adjusting deployment and harvesting or reducing peak electric power, as early races show higher overtake counts alongside reliability strains across multiple teams.