Carlos Sainz has expressed his disagreement with the performance of the Formula 1 cars from 2026 during the Belgian Grand Prix, questioning how the current regulations could have been accepted based on simulations carried out years ago.
This season has been marked by complaints about the energy management of the vehicles, and although the discontent had decreased after regulatory changes in Miami, the last two races in Silverstone and Spa-Francorchamps have highlighted the most notable limitations of these regulations.
The fast corners and long straights of both circuits have left little margin for battery charging. Despite improvements in electric power regimes, the vehicles still run out of energy at the end of accelerations in key areas. At the end of Blanchimont, the cars lose up to 50 km/h due to the lack of power from the MGU-K.
Comparing last year’s attack lap of Lando Norris with that of Kimi Antonelli in 2026, it can be observed how the cars are now 40 km/h slower at Pouhon, a change that represents a significant loss in performance.
Sainz, while not wanting to belittle his own competition, stated that the experience of qualifying with these cars is inferior. ‘No one enjoys the qualifying lap like last year,’ he asserted. He claims it is evident that they have lost a lot with the current design at the Spa circuit.
The driver emphasized that a review of the situation is necessary: ‘Those who saw the simulations from 2022, 2023 and accepted this situation must reconsider what happened. This should never happen.’ Despite this, the driver pointed to the warming of the races and the evolution of the F1 world as positive elements.
Regarding the race, Sainz is preparing for a complicated start, with the uncertainty generated by the use of active aerodynamics near other cars. Starting from 14th position, he acknowledges that facing the first lap will be a challenge. ‘We need to be insightful and play our cards right,’ he concluded.
His assessment of the new regulations found support in Lewis Hamilton, who also pointed out that teams and drivers had identified the problems right away. ‘Some problems became evident immediately; the vehicles are fantastic in the corners, but we have difficulties in a straight line,’ the Briton commented.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
