Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has doubled down on defending the controversial 2026 regulations, insisting that the surge in overtakes seen in the opening three races is genuine racing \u2014 not the \u201cartificial\u201d spectacle drivers and purists have slammed. In a wide-ranging interview, he dismissed critics outright, claiming anyone calling the passing fake has a \u201cshort memory\u201d and that the new era is delivering exactly what fans want.<\/p>\n
\u2013by Mark Cipolloni\u2013<\/p>\n
Speaking to Autosport<\/a> ahead of the Miami Grand Prix, Domenicali brushed off the backlash over qualifying, energy management, and closing speeds. \u201cWhat is artificial? Overtaking is overtaking,\u201d he said, pointing back to the 1980s turbo era where drivers had to lift-and-coast to save fuel.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \u201cPeople have a short memory\u2026 it\u2019s part of the game.\u201d He praised the \u201cincredible result in terms of positivity from the bigger fan base\u201d and boasted about sold-out races, rising viewership, and new commercial deals while admitting only that tweaks to qualifying and safety are coming before Miami.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a tone-deaf take that ignores the near-universal criticism from the drivers who actually have to race these cars\u2014and the growing chorus of experts who say the 2026 formula has stripped away the very thing that made F1 special: raw driver talent.<\/p>\n The core problem: overtaking that requires zero skill<\/p>\n The new rules were sold as the biggest shake-up in generations\u2014smaller, lighter cars with near 50\/50 ICE\/electric power, active aerodynamics, and heavy reliance on battery energy harvesting. The result? A massive spike in passing (unofficial counts show more than double the overtakes at early races compared with 2025). But almost every one of those moves has been branded \u201cartificial\u201d for the same reason.<\/p>\n Drivers now deploy an \u201cOvertake Mode\u201d or power boost when within one second of the car ahead. The chasing car suddenly gains huge electrical power while the car in front might be conserving. Pass made. Then the roles reverse on the next straight when the battery depletes\u2014classic yo-yo racing that inflates the stats without any actual wheel-to-wheel skill. Lando Norris called it \u201cway too much\u201d artificial overtaking after Australia, warning of \u201cchaos\u201d and \u201ca big accident\u201d from the wild closing speeds.<\/p>\n