Formula 1 is already thinking about the next generation of racing, and Mattia Binotto has now put one particularly important idea firmly on the table: push-to-pass.

Speaking about the future of Formula 1’s power-unit regulations, Binotto was asked whether an overtaking aid would form part of the sport’s next engine cycle.

His answer was remarkably direct.

“Push-to-pass is important for the racing situation, overtaking, so making sure that at least we are not creating trains and no one can overtake.”

Then came the important qualification.

The push-to-pass concept is on the menu, but the method has not been decided.

Binotto explained that there are multiple ways of achieving it. He specifically identified boost pressure, DRS and KERS/electrical deployment as possibilities, with the final solution to be discussed with the FIA.

That leaves Formula 1 with a fascinating technical question:

What exactly should happen when a driver presses push-to-pass?

The answer could fundamentally change how overtaking works.

The objective is already clear

The reason for considering the system is not particularly complicated.

Formula 1 does not want to create cars that are capable of following one another closely but unable to actually pass.

The nightmare scenario is the familiar racing train: one car is slightly quicker than the next, but not sufficiently quicker to overcome the aerodynamic, power or straight-line advantage of the car ahead.

The cars remain together.

The driver behind spends lap after lap looking for an opportunity.

And the race becomes a procession.

Binotto’s argument is that the next generation of Formula 1 should contain a mechanism that gives the driver some additional performance when an overtaking opportunity actually presents itself.

That doesn’t necessarily mean bringing back traditional DRS.

In fact, Binotto’s comments suggest something much broader.

Formula 1 could potentially make the power unit itself part of the overtaking system.

And there are at least three ways it could happen.

1. Push-to-pass through turbo boost

The first possibility is perhaps the most mechanically interesting.

Boost pressure.

If turbocharging remains part of Formula 1’s future engine philosophy, the sport could potentially allow the driver to request a temporary increase in turbocharger boost.

In simple terms, the turbocharger forces more air into the engine. More air allows the engine to burn more fuel efficiently and produce more power.

A push-to-pass system could therefore provide the driver with a short period during which the engine is permitted to operate at a higher boost level.

Imagine a driver exiting the final corner.

He is within striking distance of the car ahead.

The driver activates push-to-pass.

The engine is temporarily allowed to increase boost pressure.

The combustion engine produces additional power.

The car accelerates harder down the straight.

That would be a genuine engine-powered overtaking system.

How could it work?

The FIA could theoretically establish a fixed additional boost allowance.

For example, rather than allowing unlimited extra boost, the regulations could give each driver a defined amount of additional boost available during a lap or race.

That could create a strategic resource.

The driver might have:

Normal power → push-to-pass available → additional boost → resource depleted → recharge or reset.

The exact numbers are hypothetical at this stage, because no such system has been finalized.

But the principle is straightforward.

The advantage

It would make the internal-combustion engine directly responsible for helping a driver attack.

That would also give turbocharging an additional racing purpose.

The complication

More boost means more stress.

Higher cylinder pressures, temperatures and component loads would have to be considered.

The FIA would therefore need to determine whether push-to-pass boost could materially affect engine life.

There would also be a fuel-consumption question.

If additional boost requires additional fuel, the system could become part of the driver’s race strategy.

Use it too aggressively and perhaps the driver pays for it later.

That could be interesting.

2. Push-to-pass through DRS

The second possibility is much more familiar.

DRS.

Formula 1 already understands how an aerodynamic overtaking system works.

Opening the rear wing reduces drag and allows the car to accelerate to a higher speed on a straight.

A future push-to-pass system could therefore use the same basic aerodynamic principle, but potentially give the driver more control over when the additional performance is deployed.

There are several ways the concept could theoretically evolve.

The FIA could maintain designated activation zones.

Alternatively, the system could be linked to the driver’s available push-to-pass allocation.

Or it could become part of a broader active-aerodynamic system, particularly because the current generation of Formula 1 cars already incorporates much more sophisticated aerodynamic management.

The driver could essentially be given an overtaking configuration:

Push-to-pass activated → aerodynamic drag reduced → acceleration improves → attack completed → system closes.

Why would this be attractive?

Because it is relatively easy to understand.

The driver gets a performance advantage when attacking.

The audience can understand what is happening.

And Formula 1 already has the infrastructure and experience required to operate aerodynamic assistance.

But there is a problem.

If the system simply recreates the old DRS effect, Formula 1 hasn’t really solved the philosophical problem.

It has merely renamed it.

The sport would still have a situation where a driver gets close enough, activates an aerodynamic aid and passes because of the additional straight-line performance.

Binotto’s comments therefore become particularly interesting because he isn’t saying DRS is the answer.

He’s saying DRS is one possible answer.

3. Push-to-pass through KERS and electrical power

The third option may be the most naturally suited to modern Formula 1.

Electrical deployment.

Binotto referred specifically to KERS, essentially putting electrical energy on the table as another way of delivering the additional performance.

The concept is relatively simple.

The car’s hybrid system stores electrical energy.

Normally, that energy can be deployed according to the power-unit regulations.

A push-to-pass system could reserve a specific portion of that energy specifically for overtaking.

The driver reaches the straight.

He activates push-to-pass.

The electrical motor delivers an additional burst of power.

The car accelerates harder.

Once the allocated energy has been used, the driver cannot simply continue pressing the button.

He has to wait until enough energy has been recovered.

And that creates something very interesting:

strategy.

Imagine having an overtaking battery

Suppose, purely as an illustration, that a driver has a limited amount of electrical energy specifically allocated for overtaking.

He catches the car ahead.

Does he use it immediately?

Perhaps not.

Maybe he waits for the longest straight.

Or perhaps he uses half of the available deployment to get alongside and saves the rest for another attack.

Now the driver isn’t simply being given an overtake.

He is being given a weapon that has to be managed.

That distinction could be extremely important.

A system like this could turn energy management into something the audience can actually see affecting the race.

You could have a driver saying:

“I’ve got 20 seconds of push-to-pass left.”

The engineer could respond:

“Save it for the back straight.”

Suddenly, the hybrid system becomes part of the sporting story rather than something that primarily exists inside the technical regulations.

And then there is the possibility of combining them

This is where things could become really interesting.

Binotto didn’t say the FIA must choose one technology.

He said there are multiple ways of doing it.

That potentially leaves the door open to a combined system.

For example:

Electrical power + turbo boost.

The driver activates push-to-pass.

The electric motor supplies additional power while the turbocharger is permitted to operate at a higher boost level.

Or:

Electrical power + active aerodynamics.

The electrical system gives the car additional acceleration while the aerodynamic system reduces drag.

Or even:

Turbo + electrical + aerodynamic assistance.

The driver activates a single push-to-pass command and the car’s systems work together within tightly defined regulatory limits.

That would be enormously powerful technologically.

But it could also become enormously complicated.

And that is where the FIA will have to be careful.

The biggest question: how do you stop it becoming artificial?

This is probably the most important part of the entire debate.

Formula 1 wants overtaking.

But it does not want every pass to become automatic.

There is a significant difference between:

giving a driver an opportunity to attack

and

guaranteeing that the driver will pass.

If push-to-pass simply creates a massive performance advantage, the racing could become predictable.

Driver gets within the activation distance.

Pushes the button.

Passes.

Repeat.

That isn’t necessarily better racing.

The ideal system would give the attacking driver an advantage, not a guarantee.

The driver would still need to position the car correctly.

He would still need to get close enough.

He would still need to brake later.

And the defending driver should still have an opportunity to respond.

Should the defender get it too?

This is another question the FIA will have to answer.

Imagine Driver A is attacking Driver B.

Driver A activates push-to-pass.

Should Driver B be allowed to activate the same system defensively?

If yes, the system becomes more strategic.

If no, the attacking driver could receive a guaranteed advantage.

There could also be different allocations.

Perhaps the attacking car gets access to additional deployment while the defending car can use a smaller amount.

Or perhaps both cars have exactly the same resource and the difference comes down to when they choose to use it.

Again, none of this has been confirmed.

But these are precisely the sporting questions that emerge from Binotto’s proposal.

KERS could be particularly interesting under the 2030 philosophy

There is another reason the electrical option deserves attention.

Formula 1’s future engine discussion is increasingly centred around finding a balance between combustion power and electrification, rather than abandoning either one.

If the next generation uses a smaller electrical component, giving that electrical power a clear racing function could make sense.

Instead of trying to make the electric motor responsible for huge amounts of continuous performance, Formula 1 could make it a strategic performance reserve.

That would potentially reduce the amount of electrical hardware required while giving the technology an obvious purpose on track.

And that fits neatly with the broader argument surrounding the next engine cycle:

simpler power units, lower costs, but technology that still matters.

What Binotto has actually confirmed

It is important not to get ahead of the regulations.

Binotto has not confirmed:

• the amount of additional power;
• the number of activations;
• the duration;
• the activation zones;
• whether it will be electrical;
• whether turbo boost will be used;
• whether DRS will form part of it;
• whether the defending driver will have the same capability;
• or whether multiple technologies will be combined.

What he has confirmed is much more fundamental:

Push-to-pass is being considered because Formula 1 wants to ensure that its future cars can actually race and overtake.

The technical solution will be part of discussions with the FIA.

That leaves the door wide open.

Formula 1 could be building an overtaking system rather than an overtaking button

That may ultimately be the most important distinction.

The phrase push-to-pass makes it sound as though Formula 1 is simply talking about another button on the steering wheel.

But the technology behind that button could be completely different.

It could command:

more turbo boost.

It could command:

less aerodynamic drag.

It could command:

more electrical deployment.

Or it could potentially command a carefully coordinated combination of all three.

The final decision will determine what Formula 1’s next generation of racing actually feels like.

And Binotto’s comments suggest the sport is starting with the right question.

Not:

“What technology can we put on the car?”

But:

“What technology can we give the driver so that when he has the opportunity to race another car, he actually has the power to make the move?”

The answer is still being written.

But for Formula 1, the push-to-pass discussion could become one of the defining elements of its next engine era.