F1 announced a stack of changes to the engine regulations. One should have fans furious

Ayrton Senna, Donington 1993. Lewis Hamilton, Silverstone 2008. Max Verstappen, Interlagos 2016. Three of the best wet-weather drives in F1 history.

Each was in genuinely atrocious conditions, and while Senna was already a 'rainmeister' by then, the latter two were launched into genuine stardom.

But should a driver put together a similarly epic wet-weather drive this season, they cannot be compared to those drives because of a seemingly minor tweak to the much-maligned 2026 engine regulations.

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This week, the FIA met and agreed to a string of 'refinements' to the much-maligned 2026 regulations, in a bid to address the worst of the complaints from drivers and fans.

Among them was the reduction in maximum recharge during qualifying aimed to reduce harvesting and increase flat-out driving, as well as a change to how the boost is deployed to reduce closing speeds and hopefully avoid the situations that lead to Oliver Bearman's massive crash last time out at Suzuka.

But another tweak right down towards the bottom should have fans up in arms.

The maximum deployment of the Energy Recovery System (ERS) - the electrical energy harvested under braking to be deployed elsewhere - will be reduced, "limiting torque and improving car control in low-grip conditions".

In layman's terms, the car's peak performance will be reduced in the wet to make them easier to drive. WTF1?

Formula 1 is supposed to be the pinnacle of motorsport. The best drivers in the world, racing in the fastest and most technologically advanced cars in the world.

And they're turning power down in the wet to make them easier to drive?

On a cold and wet day at Donington in central England, Senna started fourth but was leading by the end of the first lap as he reminded the grid he was still the best driver in the field. He won by nearly a whole lap.

At Silverstone, Hamilton was impeccable on his way to victory. He crossed the line more than a minute ahead of second-placed Nick Heidfeld. Title rival Felipe Massa spun five times during the race.

Then in Brazil, Verstappen fell to 16th place after a slow pitstop, but put on a masterclass in car control as he drove through the field back to third place by the chequered flag, behind only the Mercedes duo of Hamilton and Nico Rosberg.

And there are others - Stefan Bellof and Senna at Monaco in 1984, Michael Schumacher at Belgium in 1998, Sebastien Vettel at Monza in 2008.

What made these drives great and remembered years and decades later was the incredible skill of the drivers to control the unbelievable power of the cars in terrible conditions.

Turning the cars down to make them easier to drive in the wet goes against the image the sport has spent decades constructing.

F1 cars have always been difficult to drive - that's what F1 is all about. Motor racing has always been dangerous, and there should always be an element of danger to it.

Teams writing software programs to change engine modes in the wet is fine. Every driver is going to have their own feel in the wet and the cream still rises to the top.

But to mandate the cars power be reduced in the wet is a farce.

I previously argued fans needed to give these new regulations more time before making judgement on whether or not they were any good. While I stand by the fact that one race was too few, three is enough of a sample size.

The powers that be have made a total balls-up of these regulations, and the sport has been backed into a corner. Only minimal changes can be made in-season, and the lead-in time - teams will no doubt be deep into the design phase for next year's cars - makes it difficult to imagine any major changes can be introduced for next season, either.

And even if they do make changes for 2028, they risk losing the support from manufacturers the regulations were designed to attract.

Having said that, forcing teams to turn the power down when it gets wet could be F1's jump the shark moment.

As much as fans usually love a wet race, let's all hope the weather stays away.