F1 2026, Lawson: “Energy management will make the driver’s role crucial”

What the New Zealander said “Regulation 2026 can be great and it can be a failure, let’s hope it turns out to be exciting.” Jacques Villeneuve declared that the technical and regulatory revolution now upon us is a great unknown. For now the pilots have certainly not declared themselves enthusiastic, at least this was their feedback after having tested on the simulator already during 2025 if not even at the end of 2024 the dynamics expected in 2026, above all the active aerodynamics and the management of electrical energy. According to Liam Lawson, this last aspect will give the drivers a more central role than in the recent past: “I haven’t driven it yet, obviously – said the New Zealander as reported by NextGen-Auto regarding the 2026 cars – from what I understand from the simulator, it will be very different from any other car we have driven so far. It will be a huge change. So, the time we will dedicate to studying every aspect between now and the first test will be extremely important. The energy management we will have to do with the car 2026 will be extremely important, the driver will also have a much bigger impact. So, it’s something we really need to be aware of.