As Formula One moves into the second half of the 2025 season, attention is growing on the huge car design regulations coming in 2026. Radical new powertrains will debut, with a 50/50 split between electrical power and the internal combustion engine (ICE).
Yet it seems the manufacturers who agreed the regulations for the new power units may have pushed the boundary too far in terms of their desire to increase the current electrical contribution by over 300%. Fears have been expressed by a number of the drivers, that at times they will be required to shift down unnecessarily to ensure the ICE charges the battery to the required level.
At the Austrian Grand Prix, Lance Stroll was highly critical of the new regulations and suggested the reason more drivers have not spoken out about this is because they are being gagged. “I don’t know if that’s racing, it’s going to be the same for everyone next year – it’s all going to be about who can do that best,” he said.
Stroll says F1 drivers gagged
“I don’t love the idea of the regs, though. A lot of the drivers can agree on that. Maybe some of them can’t talk about it for political reasons,” said the Aston Martin driver. When asked about there potential return to V8’s in the future as noted by FIA president, Mohammed Ben Sulayem, the son of the billionaire owner of the Silverstone F1 team had this to say.
“I think it’s exciting to think about cars that can scream a little bit louder, be a bit lighter and just not depend on, not focus so much on that energy like battery, powertrain that’s not very racey,” said Stroll. Energy management is set to become a crucial part of the drivers cockpit activity next and Alex Albon believes the new rules will favour brains over talent.
The Williams driver has recently tested a 2026 specification car in the simulator giving him a view of a future where intelligence and energy management will make more impact than traditional racing skills. “Technologically speaking, the driver involvement is extremely high. The driver has a lot to do. As far as we’re concerned, I wasn’t shocked by the car and its performance. I was more focused on understanding how the power unit works and how to get the most out of it.”
The obsession of the manufacturers to push the boundaries of what’s technically possible in a power unit, appears to have the effect of making the drivers less racers and more technical operators of the space age technology. There are concerns that at certain tracks where braking is low, the internal combustion engine on there longer straights will be merely acting as a generator for electrical power for the battery.
Albon claims brains more important than talent
“You have to learn a different driving style,” Albon reveals. “I don’t think it will come down purely to the drivers’ talent in the corners. A driver who is intelligent enough will be able to understand the system, and even abuse it, decode how it works to become more efficient. They will also find performance in this aspect.”
Whilst the new rules will focus the drivers attention on energy management Albon does not fear they will have to revert to driving below full power. “There is a bit of clipping or that kind of thing,” he admitted. “But next year the package will be a bit more complete in terms of how to get the most out of it. It won’t become like Formula E, with big lift-and-coast phases and so on.”
Albon is phlegmatic about the big new era coming in F1, saying “It’s part of the regulations and it’s a technology like any other in the end. I think the drivers who will do best are those who will really know how to adapt. We will have to have a very open mind about how to drive these cars.”
Much has been made of the fact that the big new rule change will mix up the current pecking order amongst the teams, but Alex Albon is not so sure.“I don’t think much will change,” was his reply to being asked if Williams may spring a surprise. “I don’t think the speed of the cars or the way they are driven will change that much. Honestly, I can’t say. I don’t think so. I just want good battles, I guess that’s what we all want,” the Williams driver concluded.
FIA claim positive driver feedback
Nikolas Tombazis, the FIA’s head of day to day operations said recently. “Drivers are extremely used to a certain optimum with the way things are now, and any deviation from it will feel a bit strange. Energy management is significant in the rules, there’s no doubt about that, but we’ve worked a lot with the teams to make that a more transparent process to the driver as much as possible.”
Tombazis goes on to admit whilst the rules will include developments on aero elasticity and other bodywork design requirements, that the bulk of the work has been focused on the energy management side of things. He claims a number of drivers who have tested the 2026 car designs in the simulator only have positive feedback: “We’ve heard some drivers say positive things, that they don’t feel anything is dramatically wrong and so on.
Leclerc says rules “less attractive”
“So, yes, there’s definitely more energy management. That is a part of having more electrical [power]. But we believe that, ultimately, the balance between those factors and pure driving and racing will be reasonably OK.”
Tombazis assertion that some of the current drivers are ‘happy’ with the new car designs has not been born out in any public comment, in fact Charles Leclerc was critical of the new F1 era as recently as at the British Grand Prix. “The new direction for us drivers is a little bit less attractive and a little bit less nice to drive.
“It’s the way it is, I still find the motivation and the challenge of making these new regs as fast as possible. If we’re competitive I’m sure I’ll start to like it a lot more, but if not, I’ll probably hate it a lot, but I hope it won’t be the case,” concluded the Ferrari driver.
FIA change regulations without consultation
The FIA has come under fire since the 2025 Formula One Belgium Grand Prix, for what appeared an age before race control sanctioned the start of the Grand Prix on Sunday. Concerns over visibility meant despite the race being declared a wet start behind the safety car, the drying track was ready for slick tyres after a handful of laps of racing.
Drivers like Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz have questioned why F1’s governing body has not insisted on a certain type of asphalt being laid at circuits regularly plagued by heavy rain. “I always thought Formula 1 should almost like, if possible, innovate and try something different,” said Sainz after the race in Spa.
”And I think there’s certain kind of tarmacs that if you would put them [the cars] on a straight line, there would be no spray, and they exist. But most circuits don’t have it. In the end, the biggest problem for us is visibility, it’s what keeps us from racing.”… READ MORE
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