Welcome to the fourth edition of Mishcon de Reya's sports update, where we bring you the latest developments and key stories from the world of sports law and governance.
This month's issue highlights include the proposed Wimbledon expansion, allowing development on the former Wimbledon Park Golf Club land despite an ongoing legal and planning battle, and how sports, politics, and asylum can intersect.
Wimbledon expands
On Thursday, 19 March 2026, the High Court ruled that the land of the former Wimbledon Park Golf Club is not subject to a statutory trust for public recreation, making it available for private development. This is a victory for the All England Club, better known as the home of the Wimbledon Championships, who are seeking to expand onto the site and build 39 new grass courts. The current site is 42 acres, fenced off, and overgrown, however, since the golf club fell into disuse, the land had been used as walking grounds. This was the basis on which the expansion plan was attempted to be blocked; Save Wimbledon Park (SWP), a pressure group, argued that, under the Public Health Act of 1875, the land should be subject to a statutory trust, making it exempt from any use other than a "public park or pleasure ground". This position was not accepted by the judge, who noted that the former golf club had been exclusively used by private members until it was closed in 2022. SWP have appealed this decision, but All England Club chairman Debbie Jevans is not worried, stating "[The ruling] couldn’t be more in our favour. It’s up to the court, but the judgment was very, very strong." However, SWP has challenged their planning consent in a separate Court of Appeal case, and nearby Merton Council holds a covenant that the club will not develop the land, so an uphill battle remains.
F1 regulation changes
In advance of the 2026 racing season, the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) announced some of the biggest rule changes the sport has seen in years. The cars are smaller, the fuel is fully sustainable, and moveable front and rear wings have been added to allow drivers to adjust their aerodynamics on a straight run or a corner. After a few months of testing and racing, however, it appears that the key change is the new 50-50 power split: 50% of power is sourced from the internal combustion engine, and 50% from a battery. On the track, this power split operates like a 'boost', allowing a driver to store electrical energy and deploy it at tactical points during the race. The downside, as is becoming increasingly clear from driver criticism, is that not every driver uses their 'boost' at the same points of the race, leading to potentially unsafe speed differentials between cars and drivers being focused on battery management rather than ultimate speed. For viewers, this leads to more exciting back-and-forth overtakes and uncertainty during the race, but for drivers, the inclusion of the 'boost' fails to reward technical risk taking, and forces drivers into a yo-yo of deploying energy and conserving it. Furthermore, drivers are raising concerns that the new engine is a safety risk, with the speed variance considered a key reason for Oliver Bearman's Suzuka crash at the end of March. Due to the ongoing war in Iran, the April races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia have been cancelled, and the FIA are consulting with teams on the regulations during the gap – perhaps there are more changes to come in 2026.
This update is part of a larger piece on the F1 regulatory changes, to be published in full detail shortly – stay tuned.
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