The public image of Formula 1 is also suffering. Many interviews now revolve almost exclusively around energy management \u2013 how much energy is available, how it is deployed, and why this limits drivers on track. Yet from the TV pictures it is difficult to understand what is actually happening, because the individual processes are nearly impossible to break down into a simple, easily understandable explanation.<\/p>\n
The core issue is that the new Formula 1 regulations were designed primarily to appeal to car manufacturers. In that regard, the plan has worked: Audi<\/a> and General Motors have joined the championship, and Honda has returned.<\/p>\n Lando Norris, McLaren<\/p>\n Photo by: Simon Galloway \/ LAT Images via Getty Images<\/p>\n Beyond the engineers, however, very few stakeholders are genuinely interested in the increased emphasis on hybrid technology in the cars. Most drivers consider the new technology terrible and say they hardly recognise Formula 1 racing anymore. This sentiment also affects the fans. Some simply cannot connect with the \u201cnew\u201d F1 \u2013 because too much has changed too quickly, and not for the better. At this point, hardly anyone can truly keep track of what is going on.<\/p>\n Stop moaning, F1 should always be technical<\/p>\n Ed Hardy, Autosport:<\/p>\n Please forgive the most technical sport in the world for actually being technical, because are we only now starting to realise that Formula 1 has forever been an engineering championship? Just think about it: throughout its 76 years of history, the F1 title has largely been decided by which team has the best car designer and not always the best driver.<\/p>\n But that\u2019s totally okay, as it contributes to the excitement of watching F1 constantly trying to push the limit of what\u2019s achievable \u2013 and on this occasion it concerns more electrical racing. Sure, the drivers are well within their rights to voice an opinion, considering they\u2019re the ones who actually put their bodies on the line, but I really don\u2019t think fans should be overly critical at this stage.<\/p>\n That\u2019s because for the parts that somebody might not understand, there\u2019s absolutely nothing stopping them from conducting further research to learn more about the new regulations. It would be quite a dismissive attitude not to do so and quite frankly, it\u2019s not like every intricate part of an F1 car has been easy to understand up to now.<\/p>\n Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari<\/p>\n Photo by: Rudy Carezzevoli \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n My seven-year-old self didn\u2019t start watching and suddenly understand how a fully combustion engine worked, or how effective a slipstream was. No \u2013 these are things one eventually learns, and it\u2019s time to do that again with the 2026 cars. There\u2019s also absolutely nothing wrong with that, especially when there\u2019s no chance that the majority of fans could provide detailed explanations as to why the cars of the late 2000s were so good\u2026<\/p>\n It’s about the end product and, in the case of the Australian Grand Prix, it was actually pretty decent. Sure it wasn\u2019t perfect \u2013 the race start was a mess \u2013 but that will eventually improve, whereas during the wheel-to-wheel combats I couldn\u2019t keep my eyes off them and totally forgot that I was supposed to be half-asleep at 4:30 in the morning!<\/p>\n Probably yes, but… isn’t that what we wanted?<\/p>\n Jose Carlos de Celis, Motorsport.com Spain:<\/p>\n First of all, this is not the Formula 1 I would want, nor is it ideal, of course. But I think the first race with these new rules was entertaining, more so than most of the 2025 ones, perhaps. There was a lot of overtaking, and wasn’t that what fans had been asking for for years? Yes, the overtaking is somewhat artificial, but so was DRS \u2013 which was far more predictable on top of that!<\/p>\n If you ask me, F1 has gone too far with electrification, which means that drivers let themselves be overtaken at one point on the circuit so that they can overtake at the next \u2013 something that goes against the DNA of the competition. But there will be circuits where the demands on energy management will be lower than at Albert Park and maybe the spectacle will be different. We need more time to reach a definitive conclusion.<\/p>\n Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari, Gabriel Bortoleto, Audi F1 Team<\/p>\n Photo by: Andy Hone\/ LAT Images via Getty Images<\/p>\n As for the complexity of the regulations, it might be better to introduce everything at once rather than gradually, but FOM should increase or improve the explanatory graphics during races so that fans don’t feel that, for the first time in years, they don’t understand anything. In case it’s not clear, here we go again: this isn’t the best F1 ever \u2013 but it’s the one we have now, and the sooner F1 helps us get used to it, the better.<\/p>\n Looks complicated \u2013 but give it time<\/p>\n Federico Faturos, Motorsport.com Latin America:<\/p>\n Let\u2019s be clear: this is Formula 1, and it is supposed to be complex. What fans want to see is the best drivers and teams in the world trying to master challenges that many others would fail to conquer. And if you prefer simpler forms of motorsport, you can find them \u2013 that\u2019s part of the beauty of the sport. As Chip Ganassi Racing\u2019s community manager demonstrated when teasing F1 on X, pointing out that IndyCar doesn\u2019t have battery management, super-clipping or downshifting on straights \u2013 they just \u201crace\u201d. It was a good tweet, hands down, as those more than two million views prove.<\/p>\n Having said that, it certainly looks like the new regulations may have gone too far in terms of complexity. That seems to be the opinion of many fans \u2013 bearing in mind how difficult it is to make such a broad statement about a global sport \u2013 and several drivers have said so very clearly. Lando Norris<\/a> probably explained it best after running over a piece of debris shed by Kimi Antonelli<\/a> in Q3 on Saturday in Melbourne: \u201cYou have to look at the steering wheel every three seconds to see what’s going to happen\u201d.<\/p>\n However, it has also been well documented that Albert Park was arguably one of the worst venues to host the debut of this new set of regulations, given its \u2018energy-poor\u2019 characteristics. And you can reasonably expect things to improve with time as teams gather more and more data for their engineers and drivers learn better ways to handle these complex new cars. In turn, the racing should begin to look less like Formula E.<\/p>\n George Russell, Mercedes<\/p>\n Photo by: Mark Sutton \/ Formula 1 via Getty Images<\/p>\n One thing is certain: this isn\u2019t something that can simply be abandoned, like the infamous elimination-style qualifying format that F1 introduced ten years ago and ditched two races later. These regulations are here to stay for the foreseeable future, so perhaps we should give them a little time to settle.<\/p>\n F1 must think about the future<\/p>\n Ken Tanaka, Motorsport.com Japan:<\/p>\n The 2026 Formula 1 regulations contain a mix of necessary complexity and unnecessary complexity.<\/p>\n First, the necessary complexity lies on the technical side. This season, the balance between engine power and electric power has effectively become equal, which makes energy management far more important. This is something that matters greatly for the future of the automotive industry.<\/p>\n Cars essentially run on the energy contained in fuel. However, when they slow down, the brake discs are clamped by the brake pads, and the car\u2019s kinetic energy is simply discarded as heat. But if that wasted energy can instead be converted into electricity and recovered, the amount of fuel energy being thrown away can be reduced. And that is extremely important.<\/p>\n Moreover, the sustainable fuel used in F1 from this season is very expensive. In that sense as well, managing energy efficiently in order to avoid wasting the fuel\u2019s potential becomes critically important. The \u201cenergy management\u201d that drivers are currently complaining about is, in fact, an essential technology for the future. Drivers, teams and we fans will all have to get used to it.<\/p>\n Honda RA626H power unit<\/p>\n Photo by: Honda<\/p>\n Things are somewhat chaotic right now, but I imagine the system will become refined before long.<\/p>\n On the other hand, the unnecessary complexity lies in the abundance of gimmicks such as active aerodynamics and boost modes. It must have been difficult for fans in particular to fully understand what was going on.<\/p>\n I can understand the thinking: since cars may run short of energy on the straights, active aerodynamics can reduce drag to compensate. However, perhaps it would have been acceptable to simply accept that aerodynamic drag increases as speed rises.<\/p>\n The same could be said about boost modes and overtake modes. I fully understand that they were introduced as a way to increase on-track action. But it is often said that sports become easier to become passionate about when they remain as simple as possible. The complexity of this season\u2019s regulations may simply be too much, particularly for newcomers.<\/p>\n That said, the increasing complexity of power-unit technology is something that is necessary \u2013 for the sake of the future.<\/p>\n It’s just what F1 has always been<\/p>\n Oleg Karpov, Motorsport.com Global edition:<\/p>\n Formula 1 has always been complex \u2013 and increasingly so over time \u2013 as it continues to push the boundaries of new technology. In that regard, there is simply nothing new or unusual about what is happening now. It is fair to say that some of the energy management complexity may be confusing for a casual fan, but there is also an argument that this is just part of stepping into new territory. In reality, that aforementioned casual fan \u2013 which, to some extent, is nine out of ten people watching the races, if not more \u2013 probably hasn\u2019t fully understood many other aspects of F1\u2019s technical world either.<\/p>\n In truth, that complexity has always been part of F1\u2019s appeal. And the sarcastic remarks from other racing championships now \u2013 pointing out that they are about \u201cpure racing\u201d \u2013 miss the point. Formula 1 is different: over-engineered and incredibly expensive cars, representing cutting-edge technology, are an integral part of its charm.<\/p>\n Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing<\/p>\n Photo by: Mario Renzi \/ Formula 1 via Getty Images<\/p>\n F1 2026 is simply the next step, with the championship doing what it has always done at its best. Nothing more than that. And after all, none of that complexity stops someone from turning on the TV and watching the race. One could even argue there isn\u2019t much need to \u201cexplain\u201d every added layer of complexity, because the underlying point remains the same: the best drivers in the fastest cars will win.<\/p>\n Yes, drivers complain \u2013 and that is what is now driving much of the negativity around the new rules. But had they not done so, you might not even notice much of a difference, apart from overtaking opportunities potentially becoming more frequent \u2013 which, frankly, isn\u2019t a bad thing. For a casual fan, that shouldn\u2019t really make the difference anyway, because the quality of the show is what matters most.<\/p>\n Drivers will always complain. They did when the Pirelli tyres were initially too soft \u2013 only to complain a few years later that they had become too durable. And the last time there was such a loud outcry was when the FIA introduced the Halo, a device designed to protect their heads. A few of them will now admit it wasn\u2019t such a bad idea after all. It\u2019s fine to listen to drivers \u2013 but that doesn\u2019t mean Formula 1 has to follow everything they say.<\/p>\n Tell us what you think in the comments!<\/p>\n We want your opinion!<\/p>\n What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?<\/p>\n![\"Lando](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1773229390_877_lando-norris-mclaren.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Lewis](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1773229391_318_lewis-hamilton-ferrari.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Lewis](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/lewis-hamilton-ferrari-gabriel.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"George](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1773229392_552_george-russell-mercedes.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Honda](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/honda-ra626h-power-unit.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Max](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1773229392_689_max-verstappen-red-bull-racing.jpg\")
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