Max Verstappen, Carlos Sainz speak on how 2026 F1 regulation is shaping up which they are not 100% as yet in the simulator.
There has been chatter already about the 2026 F1 regulations which hasn’t felt that great to drivers and teams on the simulator. They feel they will have to compromise at certain tracks with the aerodynamics and energy use on laps.
There is certain amount of pessimism already with the regulations but with some time left, they think there could be some solution in place. This is opposite to the 2022 regulations, where there was more optimism before it came alive where the proposing issue was found.
They managed to solve the issue but the dirty air situation has returned at certain tracks where following has become a bit difficult. “I mean, I think we’ll have to deal with some compromises on some tracks, you know, where you use a lot of energy per lap,” said Red Bull’s Verstappen when asked if anything has changed since last year.
“And of course, with the potential like active aero and stuff. I’m not sure if we should head into that direction. That’s what it’s looking like at the moment. Hopefully, we can optimise all these kind of things. For me, it’s more important to just try and fight the weight of the cars, try and optimise that instead of all these tools and tricks to try and help the overtaking or following.
“There must be different ways to be able to do it. I guess, also, with the engine regulation that they went into, they kind of need to do that to create the top speed and basically you know where the battery stops deploying and stuff. And yeah some tracks will work a bit better some tracks probably it’s a bit more on the edge.
“Of course people will try to counter my arguments but I guess we’ll find out anyway and in ‘26, but also I’m not really thinking, of course, too much about it because we have a lot of work in the seasons up until ‘26. But we’ll see if we can improve it a bit,” summed up Verstappen, as Ferrari’s Sainz added his view.
“I think it’s all a consequence, as Max said, of the engine regulations,” he said. “In the end, if you have a lot more energy requested from the electric powertrain, you’re going to need to have, in a way, active aerodynamics to compensate. And there is where it all starts to get messy with the overtaking and the active aero and how you can do that to help the car to go quicker on the straight and spend less time full throttle.
“Anyway, until we don’t try them, it’s I think unfair to criticise or to back the regulation change. At the same time, if it has attracted manufacturers, big manufacturers like Audi, into the sport, I think it’s something that it has to be appreciated and put into context. My personal view is that these cars now are probably just too big and too heavy.
“If I would have to change something for tomorrow, it would be that. And then the suspension, I think the suspensions are becoming a big talking point in a lot of the tracks and how we brought them into some corners and how taxing it can be for the driver. And so if I would have to request something to the FIA for 2026, if we are going to have active aero, why not active suspension to protect the back of the drivers and to protect our own health and the safety of certain tracks.
“Because it’s clear that right now we are asking way too many things to the tracks and to the circuits, to the organisations, to change many small bumps that before we wouldn’t even feel with the ‘21 car, and now we just can spin or have a pretty big accident because of those situations. So if I would have to ask or add one thing for the ‘26 would be something to protect us a bit on that front.”
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