Drivers and team principals at the Belgian Grand Prix discussed unpredictable behavior in current power units linked to self-learning algorithms. The issues affected qualifying performance at Spa-Francorchamps last weekend.
At Spa, McLaren team principal Andrea Stella described ongoing debrief discussions about unexpected differences in power deployment. He noted that the algorithms predict optimal strategies based on parameters but can react to small variations in driver input, grip, or wind.
Oscar Piastri said qualifying grids can be decided by computers behaving or misbehaving. He added that even out-lap actions influence later deployment, making the system tricky to manage.
Lando Norris and George Russell echoed the concerns, noting many factors remain outside driver control. Isack Hadjar provided an example from Q3 where stopping to give a tow confused the power unit, leading to inconsistent power delivery.
Stella indicated teams are still a few races away from full understanding, though simulation tools may help. Piastri said the characteristics are ingrained in the regulations and unlikely to be fully resolved by planned changes in 2028.
