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I tentatively assume that allowing the cars to recover an unlimited amount of energy from rear braking would make turning too easy and/or speeds too high. The rules of F1 are mainly designed to prevent those two things.

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I think it has a lot to do with the battery size. Last year there was I think 6 seconds of boost per lap allowed. Now it is something like 30-40 but they did need a bigger battery to support that.

i'd wager it's 100% a cost issue, the same reason that engines are 1.6 l, ECU is standard, etc.

It is categorically not a cost issue.

The new 1.6l V6 are more expensive than the previous generation of 2.4l V8's (which were homologated for 10 years).

Formula 1 is a sport as well as a technology industry and the regulations are constructed for many different reasons - competitiveness, safety, cost, feasability etc.

FYI, the 1.6l (turbo) engine was introduced to increase relevance to road cars, not to reduce costs.

i see this as a way to offset the cost of developing a race car engine by reusing tech in civilian cars.

That isn't the case.

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