F1 News: Teams pushing for changes to 2026 F1 regulations

(GMM) Formula 1 teams and drivers look set to push for changes to the radical and complex new F1 regulations that have just been revealed for 2026 and beyond.

Team bosses Andrea Stella (McLaren) and James Vowles (Williams) on Friday said what has been revealed by the FIA should be considered a mere rules “draft”.

Even top driver Max Verstappen joked in Montreal about the innovations like overtaking boost buttons and moveable wings. “Maybe they should add a few bananas we can throw out of the car?” the triple world champion told Bild newspaper.

“At the moment it is still a bit of a question mark for many people as to how everything will develop. It definitely needs a few more simulations,” said the Red Bull driver.

Mercedes’ George Russell, meanwhile, thinks the top speed of the ultra-low-drag 2026 cars on the straights could top the charts at a staggering 400kph.

But he warned: “And cornering speeds will drop massively. Is this what the fans really want to see?”

McLaren boss Stella is among those leading the call for the sport to come together to make meaningful tweaks prior to the rules being set in stone.

“I think from a power unit point of view, likewise from a chassis point of view, it’s time that all parties understand that they need to contribute to the success of the sport,” he said.

And Williams’ Vowles added: “At the moment, the way cars are in the draft version of the regulations, and we need to say draft, the cars are not fast enough in the corners and too fast in the straights.

“The performance difference to a Formula 2 car could be as small as a few seconds. So I’m confident we’ll get to a better solution.

“I think what we’re talking about is how do we make this a product that is still the pinnacle of motorsports.”

Vowles’ top team driver, Alex Albon, says he has spoken to Williams’ simulator drivers who report that the 2026 cars are “extremely slow”.

“And it looks as if the engine formula will make everything around it extremely complicated. The whole thing is very technical and difficult for us to understand, so what must it be like for the fans?”

Aston Martin team boss Mike Krack agrees with Albon’s concerns.

“I’m a bit scared that we will have driver press conferences speaking about all these technicalities that a lot of people will not understand and lose interest just because of that,” he said.

“If we have different energy management from track to track or constraints on the car that makes one car maybe go to the front, one to the back, and then how do we explain this? So I think that is something that we really need to keep in mind.”