{"id":16463,"date":"2025-07-23T17:19:08","date_gmt":"2025-07-23T17:19:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/16463\/"},"modified":"2025-07-23T17:19:08","modified_gmt":"2025-07-23T17:19:08","slug":"all-new-rules-slammed-as-not-very-racy-after-early-sim-experience","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/16463\/","title":{"rendered":"All-new rules slammed as \u2018not very racy\u2019 after early sim experience"},"content":{"rendered":"

Lance Stroll has offered a stinging critique of the all-new regulations set to be introduced into Formula 1 next season.<\/p>\n

Sweeping new chassis and power unit regulations promise to shake up the established order next year in what is regarded as the largest rule change in world championship history.<\/p>\n

Lance Stroll unimpressed by F1 2026 sim experience<\/p>\n

From 2026, Formula 1 will move to power units that use a 50:50 blend of electrical power versus that derived from a traditional internal combustion engine.<\/p>\n

Fully sustainable fuels will also be introduced for the first time as the sport pushes towards its Net Zero carbon target for 2030.<\/p>\n

In addition to the power unit regulations, the sport will embrace the use of moveable aerodynamic devices \u2013 a compromise to ensure cars run with minimal drag in the straights while maintaining good grip levels through corners.<\/p>\n

The two modes, dubbed X-mode (low downforce) and Z-mode (high downforce), aim to make cars more energy efficient, improve overtaking, and partially replace the current drag reduction system.<\/p>\n

However, according to Stroll, the end result is a car that is not especially inspiring to drive.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe regulations, I think\u2026 I don\u2019t know. Bit sad,\u201d the Canadian ventured.<\/p>\n

\u201cI did drive in the sim. That\u2019s why it\u2019s a bit sad, because I think it\u2019s just\u2026 It\u2019s a bit of a shame. Formula 1\u2019s just taking that path of electric energy, and we\u2019ve had to show all the downforce off the cars to support the battery power.<\/p>\n

\u201cWould just be fun to see some light, nimble, fast cars, with a lot of downforce, and just simplify the whole thing a bit; less of an energy\/battery championship science project, and more of just Formula 1 racing.\u201d<\/p>\n

More on F1 2026 rule changes<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udc49 F1 2026 tech analysed: The future of overtaking and biggest car advantage identified<\/a><\/p>\n

\ud83d\udc49 F1 2025 v F1 2026: Nine key questions ahead of huge regulation changes<\/a><\/p>\n

F1 2025 spec cars weight in at 800kg, including driver but without fuel \u2013 a two-kilogram increase over 2024 to allow for taller drivers. That figure will reduce for F1 2026, though cars will still come in at a hefty 768kg.<\/p>\n

By contrast, cars in the early 1990s weighed just 505 kilograms, a figure that had come down from a decade earlier.<\/p>\n

The result is cars that are less nimble and dynamic on track, a byproduct of the heavy batteries cars now carry, which in turn negatively impact the racing experience, according to Stroll.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of it\u2019s about that [deploying, harvesting, and managing energy],\u201d he confessed.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know if that\u2019s racing. But it\u2019s going to be the same for everyone next year, and it\u2019s all going to be about who can do that the best. Whoever\u2019s doing that best is going to love the new regs.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not a far of the direction,\u201d Stroll added.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut if we have a fast car and we\u2019re competitive, and we\u2019re doing better than everyone else\u2026 That\u2019s when you\u2019ve got nothing to complain about.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo I don\u2019t love the idea of the regs, though. I think a lot of the drivers can agree on that. Maybe some of them can talk about it for political reasons.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s exciting to think about cars that can scream a little bit louder, be a bit lighter, and just not depending, or not focus so much on that energy \u2013 battery, powertrain \u2013 that\u2019s not very racy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Aston Martin will become the factory Honda squad next year when the Japanese manufacturer swaps its allegiances from Red Bull.<\/p>\n

The Silverstone-based operation has also recruited Adrian Newey, whose focus is on next year\u2019s car. He works on that from within the squad\u2019s expansive new factory, with the benefit of a newly-opened wind tunnel.<\/p>\n

Read more:\u00a0F1 investigating critical rule change to stamp out \u2018dishonest allegations\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Lance Stroll has offered a stinging critique of the all-new regulations set to be introduced into Formula 1…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":16464,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[573],"tags":[2495,64,63,817,813,816,818,10310,44,85],"class_list":{"0":"post-16463","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-formula-1","8":"tag-aston-martin","9":"tag-au","10":"tag-australia","11":"tag-f1","12":"tag-formula-1","13":"tag-formula1","14":"tag-home-page","15":"tag-lance-stroll","16":"tag-news","17":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16463","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16463"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16463\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16464"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16463"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16463"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16463"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}