Jul.25 (GMM) F1 drivers say the incoming 2026 regulations will demand a major mental adjustment – with some openly questioning the cost to spectacle and driving purity.
At Spa on Thursday, several top names addressed the shift toward more electrification, leaner chassis, and intricate energy management systems – a technical direction Lance Stroll recently described as frustrating and “not the Formula 1 I fell in love with.”
Carlos Sainz was candid about the challenge when asked if he had tried it in the simulator.
“Very complicated. It occupies a lot of brain space while you’re driving,” said the Williams driver. “At the beginning, we’re all like: what the hell is going on here? Why do we need to do so much of this? Why is the car feeling different every lap?
“But then, by the time we start racing with it, everything will feel more natural. The big question is whether that new normal is better than the old normal. That’s the million-dollar question.
“If we have to do six or seven switch changes through a lap, we’ll do them.”
Lewis Hamilton, who experienced the last major engine regulation shift in 2014 and then dominated, took a more philosophical view.
“For me, the thing I love about Formula 1 is that there are these changes. There’s so much innovation and development,” said the Ferrari driver.
“This next step, I would say, probably the driver has even more input into the development – particularly of the power unit and how you use the power.
“I don’t really want to shut it down, because maybe things will be good. It could go either way – it could be good, it could be not so good. But only time will tell.”
2025 title contender Lando Norris, meanwhile, expressed mixed feelings. The McLaren driver said the new cars are “good, but in a different way” and will appear slower and less spectacular.
“You brake sooner at the end of a straight, which makes it less impressive for the fans,” Norris said. “Formula 1 is the pinnacle of motorsport and speed, and you’re going to get almost nothing better than what we’ve had in recent years.”
He voiced concern over increasing artificiality: “I don’t want it to become too fake or scripted I just want to drive, shift up, shift down, and be on the limit.”
Still, Norris acknowledged the appeal of a clean-slate challenge: “Some things will be better, some not so much, but it’s a new challenge. And I’m really looking forward to that.”
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