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Oscar Piastri has questioned the limited control Formula 1 drivers have over power deployment ahead of this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix, describing the situation as frustrating after the problems exposed at Spa.
Last weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix was expected to highlight the challenges created by power units built around an almost 50:50 split between internal-combustion power and electrical energy. The long straights at Spa, particularly Kemmel and the run towards Blanchimont, saw cars decelerate rapidly when they were unable to harvest sufficient energy through the corners.
However, Spa also drew attention to a less visible complication: the algorithms used to adapt energy management to each circuit and determine where power should be deployed. That represents a significant change from the previous generation of power units. While those systems were also complex, they did not involve the same level of circuit-specific technical understanding described by Piastri.
The issue is especially pronounced because electrical energy now represents such a large share of the car’s overall power. As Piastri explained, the consequences of a small error or an imperfect calculation are considerably greater than they were with the previous hybrid engines.
“When I joined Formula 1, those engines were incredibly mature, but also the penalty of things being slightly wrong or slightly out of place was significantly less, because it was such a small percentage of the overall power you got,” Piastri told media, including Motorsport Week.
“Whereas this year, it’s basically half your power, so any small differences or anything that doesn’t quite go right has a massive impact, especially at a track like Spa.”
Piastri confirmed that drivers cannot meaningfully choose where deployment occurs during a lap. The available boost button is primarily intended for overtaking rather than qualifying, leaving drivers dependent on the system’s programmed decisions when seeking maximum performance.
“We’ve got no control over where the deployment happens, more or less,” he said. “When you’ve got those differences there that you have no control over, it can be frustrating.”
The Hungaroring’s tighter, more twisting layout is expected to expose the weakness less severely than Spa. Still, Piastri does not anticipate the issue disappearing completely. He believes performance should improve as manufacturers gain a better understanding of the systems and the regulatory limits governing what the code can and cannot do.
The concerns form part of a wider discussion around the new power units, also explored in this recent report on Piastri and Norris’ frustration with energy-management unpredictability.
He’s a software engineer with a deep passion for Formula 1 and motorsport. He co-founded Formula Live Pulse to make live telemetry and race insights accessible, visual, and easy to follow.