Very negative opinions
There Formula 1 was awaited in Australia by enthusiasts and professionals to check it out on the track new rules 2026. There were those who asked for time and trust for the category – especially because after China there could be some corrections from the FIA - but the most numerous were the negative opinions.
The most significant statements came from Gary Anderson, Helmut Marko and Ralf Schumacher.
Gary Anderson’s criticisms of the 2026 regulation
The former F1 designer Gary Anderson al Telegraph he explained: “Collecting energy and distributing it correctly is more important than ever. The problem is that this reduces the importance of the driver’s skills in both qualifying and racing. The driver, apart from using the boost and overtaking modes, does not choose when to collect energy or when to distribute it: it’s all programmed in the software. We want the driver to remain an integral part of the race, not a driver on autopilot”.
Marko and Ralf Schumacher ruthless
Same opinion for Helmut Markoas he told F1-Insider: “Some welcomed it with euphoria the overtakings between Leclerc and Russell, but it was just smoke and mirrors. In reality it was the batteries that overtook each other. Once the battery ran out, the pilot was just a passenger. I provoke: at the end-of-year awards ceremony the FIA should present the champion’s trophy to the best programmer. The driver can no longer make the difference.”
Finally, there was no shortage of teasing Ralf Schumacher, to the podcast Backstage Boxengassewith reference to Lewis Hamilton’s newfound competitiveness: “The cars seem smaller and narrower, more agile. But I believe that all this lift and coast before the curves is ideal for those who are approaching the end of their career, because they naturally run fewer risks”.
