Formula One bosses agree rule changes after Max Verstappen criticism and safety fears

Ollie Bearman was involved in a high-speed crash in Japan (PA Wire)

Safety concerns, highlighted by British driver Ollie Bearman’s 191mph crash in Japan – partly attributed to significant closing speeds – have also prompted action.

The boost button will now be capped at 150kw. Additionally, the MGU-K will be set at 350kw in straightline zones and 250kw when not in a straightline zone, measures designed to prevent a recurrence of such harrowing incidents.

Further discussions are anticipated after the Miami race, as F1 chiefs acknowledge these initial changes may not fully address all driver concerns. Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff, speaking before the meeting, cautioned against drastic overhauls.

"The discussions that have been taking place between the drivers, the FIA, Formula One, and the teams have been constructive. And we all share the same objectives," Wolff stated. "It’s how can we improve the product, make it out-and-out racing, and look at what can improve in terms of safety, but act with a scalpel and not with a baseball bat."

He added: "We are going to ratify, in order to evolve, because there has only been three races. We need to learn from the past, where decisions were sometimes made in an erratic way, and then we overshot and realised it wasn’t good.

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff earlier urged F1 drivers not to talk badly about their own sport (Bradley Collyer/PA) (PA Wire)

“We are custodians of the sport and we have many hundreds of thousands of fans that love F1. In order to protect this huge opportunity that the sport gives us, we shouldn’t badmouth in public our own sport."

Mercedes has shown strong form this season, with Kimi Antonelli currently leading team-mate George Russell by nine points after the opening three races.

The season resumes in Miami after an enforced five-week break, necessitated by the cancellation of races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.