![](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/poster-fallback.png\"\/)
<\/p>\nFormula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali doesn\u2019t want to censor driver criticism of the 2026 regulations but believes the sport is in \u201creally great\u201d condition this year.<\/p>\n
This year\u2019s F1 rules changes have been billed as the most significant in history, with both chassis and engine regulations completely rewritten.<\/p>\n
Though drivers have been generally positive about the chassis rules, the more heavily hybridised engines have been roundly panned for fundamentally altering the driving challenge.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Fox Sports, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every practice, qualifying session and race in the 2026 FIA Formula One World Championship\u2122 LIVE in 4K. New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1.<\/a><\/p>\n Battery charge has become a defining performance differentiator, and though this had led to increased overtaking \u2014 significantly so at some circuits \u2014 many drivers have criticised the action as artificial because it is due to massive power differences between cars rather than skill.<\/p>\n It was also revealed at the Belgian Grand Prix that algorithms in the engine software are playing a bigger role in performance differentiation than originally appreciated at some tracks, with some drivers \u2014 including Oscar Piastri and George Russell \u2014 lacking electrical power worth multiple tenths of a second because of a glitch in the power unit code.<\/p>\n Max Verstappen has been vociferously critical of the regulations from the start of the season, when some other drivers were withholding judgement are attempting to be cautiously optimistic about the rules. His criticism played a role in building momentum for rule tweaks that will come into effect over the next two seasons to reduce the engine\u2019s reliance on the battery.<\/p>\n Though the four-time champion has not walked back his criticism since then, he has recently emphasised that he is \u201cmentally just adjusting\u201d to the rules and that he thinks it is still better to race in F1 than to \u201csit at home and drive nothing\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t want to sit here and complain again, because probably someone will shoot me outside the door [on the way out of the press conference],\u201d he joked at Spa-Francorchamps in what some alluded to presumed pressure from the sport on the drivers to speak less negatively about the rules.<\/p>\n Domenicali, however, has denied that F1 is attempting to gag criticism of the regulations, even if he would prefer that they weren\u2019t aired publicly.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are not here to put the tape on the mouth of anyone,\u201d he said, per Autosport. \u201cI mean, the beauty of our sport is that everyone can have an opinion, but the opinion is an opinion.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is someone that has the duty to have a line. There are certain drivers that prefer, of course, certain things. I think that in the process we have highlighted the need to be constructive in that respect.<\/p>\n \u201cI prefer to discuss things [between] four walls to find solutions But as I said, I think that the more you are vocal on certain things that are out of the scheme, the more the negativity is not on the sport. It\u2019s becoming on the personal side. So, I think that everyone understood that.\u201d<\/p>\n PIT TALK PODCAST: Did a bizarre backmarker crash cost Oscar Piastri victory in Hungary, and what does Lando Norris\u2019s win mean for McLaren\u2019s season? | Listen to <\/a>Pit Talk<\/a> | Watch the podcast on YouTube ><\/a><\/p>\n He added, though, that the sport is in a strong position despite driver criticism.<\/p>\n \u201cYou know very well how much I respect the jewel that are our drivers, but of course they need to understand that there is one path we need to take together,\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n \u201cThe fans are always a priority on top of everyone, even me. They [the drivers] can have a personal opinion, but I have the duty to make a summary of what is the best for the sport.<\/p>\n \u201cBut I think that the situation is very strong, very solid, with all the stakeholders today. So, we need to look ahead and make sure that the sport is growing, as I said, all together in the right way.<\/p>\n \u201cI think the situation that we are living today is really great. The championship is really at the highest in terms of people following, people that are coming to the track and people that are, in any case, new or old fans appreciating the success of the things we are doing.\u201d<\/p>\n Formula 1 published its half-season review this week, reporting that all 11 events so far this season were sold out, with a 6 per cent increase in attendance at those races compared to last season.<\/p>\n Six events, including the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne, broke their own attendance records. The Japanese Grand Prix enjoyed the biggest spectator boost, with an 18 per cent increase.<\/p>\n The sport also reported that its Fan Voice polling platform has returned more positive reviews of more races this season, with 66 per cent of fans voting that racing this year has been either \u2018good\u2019 or \u2018excellent\u2019, up from 60 per cent for the same races last season.<\/p>\n Only the Australian and British Grand Prix recorded marked downturns in fan approval, though the sport noted both races were held in mixed weather conditions last year. More than 60 per cent of respondents still rated both as \u2018good\u2019 or \u2018excellent\u2019.<\/p>\n Formula 1 also reported a 19 per cent increase in social media followers compared to this time last year.<\/p>\n Kostecki talks role as Shell team leader | 07:01<\/p>\n HAMILTON LAMENTS PENALTIES HOLDING BACK TITLE CHARGE<\/p>\n Lewis Hamilton has vowed to tighten up his performances after being slapped with his fourth penalty in three rounds at the weekend\u2019s Hungarian Grand Prix.<\/p>\n Hamilton received a five-second penalty for speeding in pit lane in Budapest, which cost him fourth place to teammate Charles Leclerc after the chequered flag.<\/p>\n It was his second penalty of the weekend, having been dropped three places on the grid for blocking Oscar Piastri\u2019s final Q3 laps in qualifying a day earlier.<\/p>\n That infringement followed a five-second penalty at the Belgian Grand Prix for being causing a collision with George Russell on the first lap that put the Mercedes driver out of the race.<\/p>\n He was also penalised five seconds at the preceding British Grand Prix for jumping the start.<\/p>\n \u201cRaces like this are where championships are lost,\u201d Hamilton told DAZN after the Hungarian Grand Prix.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve had three bad races \u2026 I have to accept that I\u2019ve made mistakes in the last three races that have cost me a lot of points,\u201d Hamilton added. \u201cI just need to take this time to reflect and sort my head out so I can come back and be a bit stronger.\u201d<\/p>\n Though he said he felt Ferrari was \u201cthere or thereabouts \u2026 in the fight\u201d with Mercedes, he admitted \u201cI wouldn\u2019t say I go into the break on a positive\u201d owing to the penalty count.<\/p>\n Despite the cluster of infringements and despite Ferrari accepting it underperformed in Hungary, many of Hamilton\u2019s penalties have been marginal.<\/p>\n Though Hamilton\u2019s car was moving during the lights sequence in Silverstone, he was stationary when the lights went out, and he said the FIA has agreed to consider rule tweaks given perceptions that rulings on jump starts have been inconsistent.<\/p>\n His penalty in Spa-Francorchamps was highly contentious given he had already committed to the corner when Russell came cruising around his outside with more battery deployment. Russell himself declared it a racing incident for which Hamilton didn\u2019t deserve a penalty.<\/p>\n Hamilton admitted that he \u201cshould have looked in my mirrors\u201d after completing his qualifying lap in Budapest as Piastri charged behind him, though impeding in qualifying is often at least equally the fault of the team, which is supposed to inform its drivers about fast cars approaching on a hot lap. Though he took responsibility, he added that \u201cthe information I got was right at the end, right by the time he was behind me, so that was a communication error\u201d.<\/p>\n His speeding penalty was for travelling at 1 kilometre per hour above the speed limit in a bid to switch off his limiter at the earliest possible moment when exiting pit lane. Ferrari boss Fr\u00e9d\u00e9ric Vasseur said the infringement was even less, at just 0.6 kilometres per hour above the 80 kilometre-per-hour limit.<\/p>\n Nonetheless, Hamilton said it was up to him to have a cleaner second half of the season.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve got to try and make sure I don\u2019t give them any reason to give me any penalties moving forwards,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Hamilton is second in the championship standings, 50 points behind leader Andrea Kimi Antonelli.<\/p>\n “RUBBISH!” Murray slams Sainz blunder | 05:40<\/p>\n AUSTIN WOULD BE WILLING TO HOST F1 FINALE<\/p>\n The Circuit of the Americas in Texas would be open to hosting the season finale if the Qatar and Abu Dhabi grands prix were called off owing to hostilities in the Middle East.<\/p>\n Formula 1 is drawing up contingency plans for the end of the season amid growing concerns that it will be unable to race in the Middle East as the United States and Iran continue fighting in the region.<\/p>\n F1 had to can plans earlier this month to reinstate the Bahrain Grand Prix on 4 October, with the Malaysian Grand Prix instead taking its place to bolster the calendar<\/a>.<\/p>\n The race will take place under the name the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia in recognition of the Middle Eastern nation funding much of the hosting fee.<\/p>\n