Anthony DurkinWith the much awaited and applauded season reveal of the new F1 rules and regulations, as drafted by the FIA in the hope of spicing up the sport of F1, bringing about closer wheel to wheel racing, do we as the F1 fans need to ask if it has all come together as planned?
To set the background, the FIA last set the ground rules back in 2022 for the previous generation of F1 cars which we were witness to.
These rules were on the whole widely accepted, as it cleaned up the aero design and took us away from the shark fin rear engine covers and front wings with countless elements.
The change now, is both mechanical in terms of aero set up, reducing drag and also the size and overall weight of the cars, but adding more hybrid battery technology to increase the overall dependence and supply on electrical power for that big push, to be able to overtake without the use of DRS.
READ CRAIG SCARBOROUGH’S EXCLUSIVE RUNDOWN OF THE 2026 REGULATION CHANGES
Of course, the use of hybrid technology comes at a cost in terms of the infrastructure that is required to not only store, manage and deliver the current to the drive wheel, but also being able to store that power before it is needed and called upon to come into play.
After being witness to F1 racing since the late 1980’s, having watched hundreds of races live on television and attending countless grand prix in person across the world, I have come to learn and accept that like life itself, there are changes that we need to accept and understand that are considered are done in the interests of the continuance of the sport, as a motor racing category.
From this, I took great interest in what was lauded by the FIA and F1 as the next big thing, the greatest change in F1 design, regulation and planning.
As the field of teams, new, old and emerging with the welcoming of Cadillac and the changing of the guard from Sauber in its various forms into the much-anticipated Audi squad.
This change was to be viewed with some reluctance, at least from the view of a pure, real and experienced F1 fan who has spanned the test of time.
Following the pre-season testing, there were numerous questions asked by the teams if the right decision had been made, especially around the increased reliance and outright dependence on this hybrid technology.
With ongoing and numerous breakdowns, the teams began then to question if the first race of the season in Australia at Albert Park would be a test of attrition or the simple quest to see that black and white embossed chequered flag being waved.
Following the long haul from their home factories to Melbourne, all eyes were on the eleven teams, specifically on Cadillac as the new entry and more importantly what overall result Aston Martin Racing could hope for following their supposed lack of development time, resulting in an unknown forecast as to how their overall weekend performance would pan out.
For what it was worth, the teams struggled with multiple break downs, and other associated mechanical failures due to this new encased electrical technology.
Teams were left to ask the question if they would be able to make qualifying or even the race start. As we were witness to the resultant action, the biggest example being Piastri wrecking his MCL40 on the formation lap alone.
The key thing to come from this was that no one was laying any blame at the team or the drivers, it was all case of all fingers being pointed at the new rules and regs and this use of technology, which appeared to malfunction.
The race itself was another example of what we did not want to see, the top twenty-two drivers, well twenty-one at least travelling through the fast section in turns nine and ten of Albert Park lifting and coasting, not planting their right foot into the firewall.
All for the sake of harvesting battery power to be used for the newly named ‘overtake mode’.
What happened to outbreaking a driver into a corner, being the late braker. The first third of the race delivered spirited racing, then then the battery reliance became the requirement over racing for a win.
F1 thought they’d give it another go in China, the land of the EV and we were delivered nothing but another failed showcasing of motorsport excellence on the world stage.
Nobody could have written the script where four cars from three different teams failed to start the race, recorded as a DNS. This included the reigning world champion and the reigning manufacturers champion.
For that to extend to another three cars, including a double DNF for Aston Martin Racing for a second race weekend in a row is not what F1 would have expected as a good result for their brand.
I see it as liking a person who enjoys the literal writings of Agatha Christie to having saved up their hard-earned money to attend the West End in London, to see a production of ‘The Mousetrap’.
They seat themselves down in the theatre and just as the lights dim, the curtain begins to rise and suddenly a voice comes over the public address system to announce that tonight’s performance will not feature the actress playing the role of the main character named as Mollie Ralston, as they were unable to find the stage door.
Please enjoy the show with the remainder of the cast being present on the stage anyway.
As we move on to one of the more traditional and pure driving circuits at Suzuka, for the Japanese Grand Prix we can only hope that for the sake of Honda and an event being held at a circuit that they own, that their power units that are bolted to the rear end of the AMR-26 can stay strapped together long enough so as to see both cars crossing the finish line.
For the current batch of F1 drivers, this season is so far more likely a feeling of being on the set of the ‘Hunger Games’, ensuring that the battery read out is indicating that it is as close to maximum as can be harvested from hiding from the enemy through lifting and coasting, trying to avoid making any noise, in search of seeing the seasons end to raise the Panem Cup as the overall winner.
Maybe this sense of direction is good for the branding of the technology side of it all, but is it good for the longevity of F1 as the pinnacle of motorsport.
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READ MORE: 2026 F1 Regulations
Fraser Masefield
Craig Scarborough