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Kimi Antonelli backs the changes Formula 1 made to their new regulations in time for the Italian GP, suggesting tweaks to the power unit rules may have spared the Autodromo Nazionale Monza from a “disaster” weekend. The new power units introduced for the 2026 F1 season marked an ambitious venture by the FIA as they expanded the role of the MGU-K (Kinetic) electrical battery to account for 47% of the overall power. The remaining 53% is still provided by the internal combustion engine, but was reduced from around 80% whilst the MGU-H (Heat) aspect of the battery regeneration was removed to simplify the technology and reduce costs. Inspired by the success of Formula E but perhaps too optimistic for performance demands of F1, the new cars quicky found multiple problems such as being unable to launch at race starts effectively due to the removal of the MGU-H (Heat). The turbo proved unable to prepare the car to immediately get to racing speeds at starts, consequently creating dangerous situations such as at the Australian GP, where Franco Colapinto had to sharply swerve to avoid Liam Lawson. But the most frustrating issue centred around super clipping, an effect in which the electrical battery begins to run out of deployment before reaching the next charging zone, primarily under braking. More from the Italian GP Get ready for the Italian GP with Total Motorsport’s latest Monza coverage, including Kimi Antonelli’s double power unit penalty, the full weekend schedule, Monza records and track guide, the latest weather forecast, and where to watch every session. Super clipping often happens towards the end of a long straight, but whilst the driver remains on full throttle the power unit cuts some electrical deployment, suddenly losing a significant amount of power. Criticism focused on the feeling that qualifying laps became artificial and that overtaking became too easy, creating a sense of “unearned” racing – especially high-speed circuits such as Australia’s Albert Park. World champions Lando Norris, Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen and Fernando Alonso all criticised the power unit side of the regulations, stressing their concern for circuits such as the British GP at Silverstone or Italian GP at Monza. The high-speed locations are defined by long straights and limited slow corners, offering little chance for the battery to recharge and creating the prosect of cars limping around the most famous homes of F1. After a particularly scary accident involving Ollie Bearman at the Japanese GP saw the driver slam into the barriers and limp away from his Haas after being caught out by super clipping on Colapinto‘s car. As a result, Formula 1 soon began exploring solutions and Antonelli backs the tweaks to the regulations ahead of Italian GP believing they may have saved the race. Antonelli backs Formula 1 regulations tweaks ahead of Italian GP From the Miami GP, the FIA changes in a bid to stem frustrations and improve the quality for the remainder of the 2026 F1 season, mainly by cutting the maximum permitted battery recharge from 8MJ to 7MJ per lap. This reduced the amount of energy drivers needed to recover through super clipping, with the FIA targeting a maximum super-clip duration limited to roughly 2–4 seconds per lap. At the same time, the maximum power available during super clipping was increased from 250kW to 350kW, offering the chance for the cars to recharge the battery more quickly. Although the changes did not completely eliminate super clipping, drivers subsequently reported that qualifying felt more natural, with less need to lift early or deliberately manage the throttle. Energy management remained important at high-speed circuits races such as the Belgian GP and British GP became serviceable, even if still underwhelming to the drivers compared to the past. While complaints have not disappeared entirely, the intense criticism seen during the opening races has largely quietened, and the Mercedes driver now suggests the improvements will make the Italian GP better. “The driving is not the best, but it’s not that terrible either,” Antonelli told media, including Total-Motorsport.com. “Because I still think that in terms of super clipping, Australia was the worst and will be the worst for the rest of the year. “Because with the fact that they’ve reduced the amount of MJ you can reload, that you can harvest during the ride, let’s say there’s going to be a lot less super clipping. There won’t be that sharp speed drop with super clipping. “The speed in many places will remain the same, but we won’t see major drops like maybe in Australia or even maybe at Silverstone in certain points. “So at least that’s better, because otherwise it would have been a bit of a disaster.” What comes next for the new Formula 1 regulations? Formula 1 is not resting for the improvements made in the ongoing season, and plans further changes in a bid to keep the drivers satisfied and to find a more harmonious balance between the rules. From 2027 the MGU-K’s maximum output will fall to 300kW and remain there in 2028 whilst at the same time, the power of the internal combustion engine will increase to 420kW before rising again to 450kW over this period. The result is a gradual shift from the current 53-47 combustion-to-electric split towards 58-42 in 2027 and 60-40 the following year, whilst fuel flow and energy harvesting limits will also increase. The aim is to retain the advantages of the electrical battery whilst phasing out super clipping in a manner that does not leave manufacturers returning to the drawing boards after investing heavily into the form of the 2026 power units. Further ahead, discussions have taken place around the possibility of introducing V8 engines powered by sustainable fuels from around 2030, although this remains a concept under consideration rather than a confirmed set of regulations.