“I sympathise with the drivers; I'm very critical not to lose the DNA and the heart of the sport, which is finding the fastest driver in the fastest machine to win the race.”
Like many in the paddock, Sebastian Vettel simply isn’t a fan of Formula 1’s new-for-2026 regulations. The four-time world champion has made that much clear on Swedish TV channel SVT.
The greater emphasis on ...Keep reading

Formula E boss Jeff Dodds reckons his championship is helping Formula 1 to understand its new set of regulations which he thinks have been unfairly criticised.
F1 introduced a radical new ruleset for 2026 with battery management now playing a key role in grands prix due to the power unit almost being 50% electrical alongside a nimbler chassis.
That’s led to F1 teams signing various ...Keep reading

The relationship between a Formula 1 driver and their race engineer has always been important, and this has been amplified in 2026 due to the complexity of the regulations.
To understand their bond, we've spoken to ex-F1 engineer Julien Simon-Chautemps, who offered guidance from the pit wall to drivers like Kimi Raikkonen, Romain Grosjean, Pastor Maldonado, Vitaly Petrov, and Jolyon Palmer ...Keep reading

After two discussions with technical chiefs, Monday marked the long-awaited meeting between the FIA, Formula 1, the teams and power unit manufacturers. The agenda revolved around how the technical regulations could be improved based on the opening rounds, and ahead of the Miami Grand Prix.
Both the FIA and F1 had made it clear beforehand that major changes were highly unlikely, also because ...Keep reading

To prevent a repeat of 2014, the FIA has included a safety net in the current Formula 1 power unit regulations: the Additional Design and Upgrade Opportunities, or ADUO.
The initial idea was to measure the pure output of the internal combustion engine every six races (1–6, 7–12, 13–18, and 19–24). Manufacturers that are between 2% and 4% down on the best ICE on the grid are granted one ...Keep reading

Today a high-level collection of Formula 1's stakeholders met to ratify changes to the 2026 rules based on ideas and recommendations from a series of technical and sporting meetings over recent weeks.
But while a significant and vocal section of the fanbase remains disenchanted with various aspects of the current format – chiefly drivers having to lift-and-coast during qualifying, and races ...Keep reading

Autosport's recent exclusive interview with Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali generated many responses, some of the most energetic of which were directed at the issue of whether overtaking has become a case of quantity over quality under the latest technical regulations.
"Some people are saying it is artificial," he said. "What is artificial? Overtaking is overtaking.
"And people have a ...Keep reading

With the Formula 1 calendar locked at 24 races and the series continuing to grow its metrics, securing a spot on the schedule appears harder than ever.
F1's popularity has led to a surge of interest from prospective host cities, countries and governments, with some more credible than others.
However, politicians prematurely declaring a grand prix being a done deal are unlikely to impress the ...Keep reading

In Formula 1, time is everything. Not just the time ticking away on the stopwatch, but also the time needed to design, develop and refine. It is the invisible factor that separates success from failure. The teams are constantly racing against the clock: every detail is planned, every task is meticulously timed, and every margin for error is reduced to a minimum. Nothing is left to ...Keep reading

When the media gathered at Red Bull’s hospitality unit during the first week of winter testing in Bahrain, most colleagues were wondering how Max Verstappen would respond to the new regulations. After all, the Dutchman had already warned about this engine formula in the summer of 2023 and had openly stated that, in his view, it was heading in the wrong direction.
In the Middle East ...Keep reading