{"id":583834,"date":"2026-04-03T23:40:14","date_gmt":"2026-04-03T23:40:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/583834\/"},"modified":"2026-04-03T23:40:14","modified_gmt":"2026-04-03T23:40:14","slug":"will-buxton-warns-formula-1-needs-a-reality-check-right-now-it-feels-contrived-and-false","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/583834\/","title":{"rendered":"Will Buxton warns Formula 1 needs a reality check right now it feels contrived and false"},"content":{"rendered":"

The unrest around Max Verstappen and the 2026 regulations has exposed a deeper divide within our sport. From across the pond, Formula 1 exile turned the voice of IndyCar<\/a>, Will Buxton backs the Dutchman’s concerns that the sport is losing its core identity.<\/p>\n

With Verstappen openly questioning his future and criticising the racing product, the issue has moved beyond performance. Buxton frames it as a structural problem, one that has been building for years and is now fully visible after a chaotic start to the season.<\/p>\n

Speaking on the Up To Speed on YouTube<\/a>, Buxton recalled the journey from the concept of these Formula 1 Power Units to the current state of play: “Your big issue right now is the people determining these changes didn\u2019t stop this from happening. As far back as 2023, there were warnings. Max said the 2026 cars would be awful, that drivers would be lifting on the straights, and that there would be a huge difference compared to current Formula 1 unless changes were made. <\/p>\n

“A year ago, Fred Vasseur went to the FIA and asked if they were sure about the regulations because race starts would be difficult. Nothing was changed. The regulations were designed to bring in new manufacturers. <\/p>\n

“That worked with Audi, Ford and Honda. But then they cut costs by removing the MGU-H without adjusting the 50\/50 power split. That\u2019s the core issue. You\u2019re deploying energy faster than you can harvest it. How did nobody see this coming? These are supposed to be the smartest people in the sport, and now they have a month to fix it.”<\/p>\n

Regarding the current state of play and furore that is dividing the sport, Buxton said: \u201cYou\u2019ve got to take Max at face value. When he\u2019s talking about quitting and doing other things, he has achieved more than I think he ever thought he would in the sport. You guys spoke to him pre-season, and he was very honest with you.<\/p>\n

\u201cUltimately, only you as professional sportspeople know what it is to face that reality of when do I walk away. When do I walk away from the thing that I love and go and pursue something else?<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think he\u2019ll walk away from racing entirely, but will he walk away from Formula 1 if he\u2019s not happy anymore? He has issues with the media and has had them for a long time. We\u2019ve all had run-ins with him over the years. I certainly have. Is there something performative in it? Potentially. But at the same time, there\u2019s clear frustration there.\u201d<\/p>\n

A message Formula 1 cannot ignore\"Verstappen-China-2026\"\/<\/p>\n

Buxton believes Verstappen\u2019s stance carries weight far beyond a single driver complaint. The sport\u2019s biggest star publicly questioning the product puts pressure on the FIA and Formula 1 to respond.<\/p>\n

He pointed out: “Nothing is going to send a message to the governing body and to the owners of the sport quite like your poster boy, your four-time champion, Max Verstappen, turning around and saying not only do I hate these regulations, but I hate them so much that I\u2019m going to leave the sport in which I am a full-time champion.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the really interesting things is that we\u2019re now talking about it from a safety perspective rather than just how the drivers race or whether it\u2019s down to them to relearn their craft. At a circuit like Suzuka<\/a>, the difference between the great and the good was who could go that extra half percent, that extra percent, and do what the other drivers couldn\u2019t or didn\u2019t do.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow, as Fernando said over the weekend, I reckon 50% of the people working on his team could drive that car. So if you can drive a Formula 1 car these days at about 75% of your full capacity, then that gap between the great and the good no longer exists. And if the gap between the great and the good no longer exists, then why would a driver like Max find any joy in that anymore?\u201d<\/p>\n

Buxton\u2019s argument cuts deeper than performance. He is pointing to a shift in what defines elite driving, and whether the current cars are masking the very skill that once separated the best from the rest: \u201cYou\u2019ve got a situation now where you have to make changes because of the Bearman crash being the realisation of the fears that the drivers were voicing right from the start of the year.”\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s no longer teams complaining because they don\u2019t have a competitive advantage, or drivers complaining because they\u2019re not used to driving cars like this. They\u2019re actually able now to come together under the banner of safety and say this is dangerous, and it\u2019s been proven.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the start of the year, it was a competitive argument. Now you\u2019ve got serious issues: one, danger, and two, entertainment. If both are under threat, then you have to make changes.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe question is, how much can you change when so much time and money has been thrown into these engines? Are you stuck with what you\u2019ve got? Is it just going to be software modifications? What can you actually change?”<\/p>\n

That yo-yo effect feels very fake\"Leclerc-Russell-China-2026\"\/<\/p>\n

Buxton also highlighted how the current cars have changed the visual spectacle of Formula 1, particularly in high-speed sections where drivers are no longer operating at the limit: \u201cIf I look back to Australia, that quick change of direction out the back by the lake, watching the F1 cars go through there this year was thoroughly depressing, because they were lifting or slowing down due to harvesting and superclipping.<\/p>\n

\u201cWatching the F2 cars go through there was awesome, because they were on the edge, skittering about, struggling for grip. That was maximum commitment. Were they slower lap times? Yes. Did they look more impressive? Yes. So I\u2019m with you. I\u2019d take a decrease in overall power if it means we don\u2019t have to see drivers lifting off and not being at the limit.\u201d<\/p>\n

Buxton then addressed the nature of overtaking under the new rules, arguing that while passes are happening, they lack authenticity and feel artificial: \u201cThe frustration comes when we got rid of DRS, racing was supposed to go back to being pure again. <\/p>\n

“Now you have a driver using all their deployment to overtake, and then they\u2019ve got nothing left to defend, so another driver just comes straight back past. That yo-yo effect feels very fake. It\u2019s overtaking, but it\u2019s not what we\u2019d understand as a real pass, a gutsy, brave manoeuvre.\u201d<\/p>\n

Buxton\u2019s conclusion is stark. Formula 1, in his view, is at a turning point and risks losing part of its identity if it does not respond correctly to the current situation: \u201cIt\u2019s like people need an intervention. Formula 1 needs a reality check right now. They\u2019ve gone down a path to bring new manufacturers in, but have they sacrificed some of the soul of the sport? I\u2019d argue they have.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019ve recognised that since race one and said they\u2019d wait a few races before deciding what to do. That\u2019s good. I want Formula 1 to succeed. But right now, it feels contrived and false. The teams have the opportunity to upgrade their engines anyway, so decisions need to be made quickly. We can\u2019t just sit on our hands. They\u2019ve got to figure this out fast.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Formula 1, the pressure is now unavoidable. With drivers, pundits and fans questioning the product, the next steps taken by the FIA and the sport\u2019s leadership will define whether this regulation era stabilises or continues to fracture the grid and its audience.
(Will Buxton speaking to UpToSpeed<\/a>\u00a0YouTube Channel)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The unrest around Max Verstappen and the 2026 regulations has exposed a deeper divide within our sport. From…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":583835,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[572],"tags":[64,63,35119,806,805,803,804,85],"class_list":{"0":"post-583834","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-motosport","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-f1-news","11":"tag-motor","12":"tag-motor-sports","13":"tag-motosport","14":"tag-motosports","15":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/583834","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=583834"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/583834\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/583835"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=583834"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=583834"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=583834"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}