Apr.13 (GMM) Formula 1 drivers are being formally drawn into discussions about the controversial 2026 regulations ahead of a key decision meeting on April 20.
The FIA is set to hold an online meeting with drivers before that date – a notable shift given long-standing complaints that competitors have little influence over rule-making.
GPDA chairman Alex Wurz says the level of engagement among drivers is unprecedented.
“The famous drivers’ WhatsApp group has basically exploded. The chat is more active than ever before. I’ve rarely seen it so active,” he said.
“The drivers are expressing emotions, they’re proposing different solutions, technical solutions, and we’re discussing how we can convince everyone that the drivers need to be heard.”
GPDA director Carlos Sainz agrees the current process risks being too team-driven.
“It’s a problem if you only listen to the teams. They might find the racing okay because they enjoy how it looks on television,” he said.
“But from the perspective of a driver competing against others and realising that there can be a speed difference of 50kph, that’s not really racing.”
Sainz urged officials to act quickly, even if only in stages.
“I really hope they listen to us and focus on the feedback we’ve given them, instead of just listening to the teams, and that they develop a plan for Miami that improves the situation, as well as a plan for the medium-term future of these regulations to further improve them.
“Even if you can’t improve everything before the race in Miami, you should at least take another step before Miami and then a big step, maybe next year or later in the season.”
However, FIA single-seater boss Nikolas Tombazis insists the situation is not as severe as some suggest.
“It’s not like we’re discussing a complete rewrite,” he said.
“We believe the patient is not in intensive care – the patient needs to just eat a couple of apples per day, not to have an open-heart surgery.
“There are topics from both the drivability and the safety point of view that we need to address. Equally, I don’t like to say on the other extreme ‘It’s all a mess.'”
Tombazis acknowledged concerns following Oliver Bearman’s high-speed Suzuka crash, linked to extreme closing speeds under the new energy management rules.
“Every accident at high speed is always a little bit of a shock,” he said.
“To say it was expected would be wrong but the closing speeds had been identified as a risk.”
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