The success of the new 2026 F1 cars
Discussion
2026 cars seem to invite closer racing between team mates. Loads of around the outside overtakes .As teams equalize a bit more that would mean closer racing across the board.
By some weird quirk the last rule set made for a very flawed and difficult to set up car. A bit of a disaster. So we found that max could cope better than
the others ,but its no way to run a show.
Its was like the guy who can wiggle the tv ariel around best to get a picture being showered with endless praise,rather than fix the reception problem lol.
By some weird quirk the last rule set made for a very flawed and difficult to set up car. A bit of a disaster. So we found that max could cope better than
the others ,but its no way to run a show.
Its was like the guy who can wiggle the tv ariel around best to get a picture being showered with endless praise,rather than fix the reception problem lol.
hondajack85 said:
By some weird quirk the last rule set made for a very flawed and difficult to set up car. A bit of a disaster. So we found that max could cope better than the others
If that’s what the last rule set told us does that then mean that these new rules show that Max isn’t as good at driving these cars as George, Kimi, Lewis and Charles?Not meaning to derail, but earlier on tonight I came across a video of the race start I took of the 2013 British gp as a general admission at maggots/becketts.
The sound those cars made on lights out down to turn 2 was just absolutely mental, and it saddens me that it’s what F1 “used” to sound like, and what it’s like now.
The sound those cars made on lights out down to turn 2 was just absolutely mental, and it saddens me that it’s what F1 “used” to sound like, and what it’s like now.
The sad aspect is it has never been more popular, the sane is happening in WEC, the cars are being dumbed down to be almost silent in some cases,yet it is popular, you need to vote with your wallet and most race fans are immensely selfish really. FOMO is a huge, vital aspect of events marksting and sport these days
What the new rules demonstrate more than anything is that F1 fans will never be happy. (I include myself in this, by the way!)
Let us not forget that a few years ago, these pages were full of very robust debate on what appeared to be the most pressing and critical aspect of Formula one............ the F1 logo!
Similarly, much bandwidth was taken up with disapproving debate around the halo.
We're only two races in yet to me, it's clear that we at last have a formula that allows close battles for long periods of time, the outcome of which is far from certain until the flag drops. Battles are intense throughout the field. The driver remains the determinant factor in the outcome of these battles. The cars look great too.
Results so far are a true reflection of combined design, technical and driving skills - as should always be the case in F1.
Like politics, F1 will never present itself in a way that everyone likes. Debating this is part of the fun, I guess.
Let us not forget that a few years ago, these pages were full of very robust debate on what appeared to be the most pressing and critical aspect of Formula one............ the F1 logo!
Similarly, much bandwidth was taken up with disapproving debate around the halo.
We're only two races in yet to me, it's clear that we at last have a formula that allows close battles for long periods of time, the outcome of which is far from certain until the flag drops. Battles are intense throughout the field. The driver remains the determinant factor in the outcome of these battles. The cars look great too.
Results so far are a true reflection of combined design, technical and driving skills - as should always be the case in F1.
Like politics, F1 will never present itself in a way that everyone likes. Debating this is part of the fun, I guess.
Good
- the cars look great ; much smaller than their actual dimensions might suggest . and they sound a bit better too
- they don't lack poke , with some splendidiy squirrelly moments at corner exits (and pits , in the case of Lawson )
- although slower on overall lap times (so far) they look ballistic on the straights
- lots of place swappping
Not so good /absurd
- any spec which means F1 cars, even in qualifying , go slower round corners than they could do so , is deeply flawed
- the overtaking's fun , but even dafter than it was with DRS. Casual fans may love it, it showcases drivers' resourcefulness but c'mon , it's silly artifice. It's like going to a restaurant, skipping the first two or three courses and gorging yourself on puddings
- the cars look great ; much smaller than their actual dimensions might suggest . and they sound a bit better too
- they don't lack poke , with some splendidiy squirrelly moments at corner exits (and pits , in the case of Lawson )
- although slower on overall lap times (so far) they look ballistic on the straights
- lots of place swappping
Not so good /absurd
- any spec which means F1 cars, even in qualifying , go slower round corners than they could do so , is deeply flawed
- the overtaking's fun , but even dafter than it was with DRS. Casual fans may love it, it showcases drivers' resourcefulness but c'mon , it's silly artifice. It's like going to a restaurant, skipping the first two or three courses and gorging yourself on puddings
coppice said:
Good
- the cars look great ; much smaller than their actual dimensions might suggest . and they sound a bit better too
- they don't lack poke , with some splendidiy squirrelly moments at corner exits (and pits , in the case of Lawson )
- although slower on overall lap times (so far) they look ballistic on the straights
- lots of place swappping
Not so good /absurd
- any spec which means F1 cars, even in qualifying , go slower round corners than they could do so , is deeply flawed
- the overtaking's fun , but even dafter than it was with DRS. Casual fans may love it, it showcases drivers' resourcefulness but c'mon , it's silly artifice. It's like going to a restaurant, skipping the first two or three courses and gorging yourself on puddings when you prefer savoury, and the restaurant specialises in wagyu steak
ftfy...- the cars look great ; much smaller than their actual dimensions might suggest . and they sound a bit better too
- they don't lack poke , with some splendidiy squirrelly moments at corner exits (and pits , in the case of Lawson )
- although slower on overall lap times (so far) they look ballistic on the straights
- lots of place swappping
Not so good /absurd
- any spec which means F1 cars, even in qualifying , go slower round corners than they could do so , is deeply flawed
- the overtaking's fun , but even dafter than it was with DRS. Casual fans may love it, it showcases drivers' resourcefulness but c'mon , it's silly artifice. It's like going to a restaurant, skipping the first two or three courses and gorging yourself on puddings when you prefer savoury, and the restaurant specialises in wagyu steak
It 's not the cornering speed per se that worries me - I enjoy watching any racing car of any vintage ,F 1 included , on the limit through a corner . The nonsenical , absurd thing about F1 2026 is that even in the heat of qualifying, some corners are taken slower than is possible, so as not to run out of puff down the following straight .Saving tyres or fuel in a race , I can cope with, but if the best way to go quickly is to corner at a speed Alonso described as being achievable by the team chef, something is deeply flawed .
Ive followed F1 for a long time, so by no means the 'new generation of fan' and i'm really enjoying this season.
It's different, it's exciting, there are some great overtakes and therefore great racing, nothing about it is 'fake' IMO as ive said on another threat. I think there is more excitement to come, and i'm enjoying seeing the usual suspects not running away with it this year
Downside? 'super clipping' sounds a bit rubbish, especially into turn 9/10 at Melbourne, I think that really highlighted it, but it is what it is.
I'm a glass half full kind of guy and I'm just pleased its March and F1 is back!
Oh, from a (sky) coverage aspect - another downside is Jaques V...
It's different, it's exciting, there are some great overtakes and therefore great racing, nothing about it is 'fake' IMO as ive said on another threat. I think there is more excitement to come, and i'm enjoying seeing the usual suspects not running away with it this year
Downside? 'super clipping' sounds a bit rubbish, especially into turn 9/10 at Melbourne, I think that really highlighted it, but it is what it is.
I'm a glass half full kind of guy and I'm just pleased its March and F1 is back!
Oh, from a (sky) coverage aspect - another downside is Jaques V...

It's still a sport I love, so it's not all doom and gloom for me, however, I will never be convinced that having less downforce and less mechanical grip is a good thing, or that the cars being so starved of power they they can't push even for a whole lap makes for a great spectacle. The idea of a rule set where drivers deliberately slow down in the corners so they've got enough battery to make it down a straight seems antithetical to a top-tier racing competition.
Battery management has always been a thing since the hybrids were introduced and I've always liked the hybrid engines, but now the cars make less power from the ICE engine, recover less energy per lap, have no passive energy regen via MGU-H and deliver much higher peak power from the electric motor, all without any significant development in battery energy capacity. They now use the energy much faster than before and find it even harder to recharge the battery.
Eventually this rule set will end up setting faster laps than the previous rules, that's just the way of F1. Indeed, there's more time to be gained by powering out of slower corners than there is to be lost by backing off in fast corners, so sooner or later these cars will match and then beat the overall lap times of the ground effect cars. You could argue that's the ultimate success of the regs,.I'd rather see someone take the.S.curves at Suzuka without lifting due to lack of downforce, of because they need to save their energy for the following straight.
Battery management has always been a thing since the hybrids were introduced and I've always liked the hybrid engines, but now the cars make less power from the ICE engine, recover less energy per lap, have no passive energy regen via MGU-H and deliver much higher peak power from the electric motor, all without any significant development in battery energy capacity. They now use the energy much faster than before and find it even harder to recharge the battery.
Eventually this rule set will end up setting faster laps than the previous rules, that's just the way of F1. Indeed, there's more time to be gained by powering out of slower corners than there is to be lost by backing off in fast corners, so sooner or later these cars will match and then beat the overall lap times of the ground effect cars. You could argue that's the ultimate success of the regs,.I'd rather see someone take the.S.curves at Suzuka without lifting due to lack of downforce, of because they need to save their energy for the following straight.
I moved on from F1 with the onset of the awful, dull hybrid era, pretty much as the sport exploded in popularity, so don't really understand the fascination.
They are too big, too complicated, too many people involved abd far too quiet.
Sadly the sport I replaced it with is going a similar way with very quiet, complicated cars, thankfully the racing is still good.
I watched a bit of China, at the moment Ferrari were battling, it was briefly interesting, but not ear splittingly so as commentators have you believe, but even that us based on energy use and fakeness.
If you were brought up watching real me, race real cars, where you could see, hear and watch pure skill, this modern era is a bit if a letdown
Modern drivers are just as good, you just don't get to see it as much sadly
They are too big, too complicated, too many people involved abd far too quiet.
Sadly the sport I replaced it with is going a similar way with very quiet, complicated cars, thankfully the racing is still good.
I watched a bit of China, at the moment Ferrari were battling, it was briefly interesting, but not ear splittingly so as commentators have you believe, but even that us based on energy use and fakeness.
If you were brought up watching real me, race real cars, where you could see, hear and watch pure skill, this modern era is a bit if a letdown
Modern drivers are just as good, you just don't get to see it as much sadly
bergclimber34 said:
The sad aspect is it has never been more popular, the sane is happening in WEC, the cars are being dumbed down to be almost silent in some cases,yet it is popular, you need to vote with your wallet and most race fans are immensely selfish really. FOMO is a huge, vital aspect of events marksting and sport these days
Immensely selfish because they're buying tickets to something you don't like? bergclimber34 said:
I moved on from F1 with the onset of the awful, dull hybrid era, pretty much as the sport exploded in popularity, so don't really understand the fascination.
They are too big, too complicated, too many people involved abd far too quiet.
Sadly the sport I replaced it with is going a similar way with very quiet, complicated cars, thankfully the racing is still good.
I watched a bit of China, at the moment Ferrari were battling, it was briefly interesting, but not ear splittingly so as commentators have you believe, but even that us based on energy use and fakeness.
If you were brought up watching real me, race real cars, where you could see, hear and watch pure skill, this modern era is a bit if a letdown
Modern drivers are just as good, you just don't get to see it as much sadly
So why are you commenting more than 10 years after you moved on. They are too big, too complicated, too many people involved abd far too quiet.
Sadly the sport I replaced it with is going a similar way with very quiet, complicated cars, thankfully the racing is still good.
I watched a bit of China, at the moment Ferrari were battling, it was briefly interesting, but not ear splittingly so as commentators have you believe, but even that us based on energy use and fakeness.
If you were brought up watching real me, race real cars, where you could see, hear and watch pure skill, this modern era is a bit if a letdown
Modern drivers are just as good, you just don't get to see it as much sadly
That is a bizarre obsession.
bergclimber34 said:
I
I watched a bit of China, at the moment Ferrari were battling, it was briefly interesting, but not ear splittingly so as commentators have you believe, but even that us based on energy use and fakeness.
If you were brought up watching real me, race real cars, where you could see, hear and watch pure skill, this modern era is a bit if a letdown
Modern drivers are just as good, you just don't get to see it as much sadly
I started watching 'real men' etc at the 1971 Briish GP and although I can find much to carp about (complexity, idiot tribalism of fans and crap circuits in dodgy countries) it's still as addictve as ever . Live, you can certainly see (and sometimes hear) the skill and althugh my favourite era was the mid 80s , I still love it . I am sad that we have a TV audience whose ant like attention span means we inch ever closer to a spec formula but the biggest change (of which I can be guilty) is in the watcher , not the watched . We love everything until we're late 30s , start grumbling in our 40s , and from 50 on we miss the good old days. I'm 73 so I'm totally fI watched a bit of China, at the moment Ferrari were battling, it was briefly interesting, but not ear splittingly so as commentators have you believe, but even that us based on energy use and fakeness.
If you were brought up watching real me, race real cars, where you could see, hear and watch pure skill, this modern era is a bit if a letdown
Modern drivers are just as good, you just don't get to see it as much sadly
ked Edited by coppice on Thursday 19th March 10:08
_Rodders_ said:
bergclimber34 said:
I moved on from F1 with the onset of the awful, dull hybrid era, pretty much as the sport exploded in popularity, so don't really understand the fascination.
They are too big, too complicated, too many people involved abd far too quiet.
Sadly the sport I replaced it with is going a similar way with very quiet, complicated cars, thankfully the racing is still good.
I watched a bit of China, at the moment Ferrari were battling, it was briefly interesting, but not ear splittingly so as commentators have you believe, but even that us based on energy use and fakeness.
If you were brought up watching real me, race real cars, where you could see, hear and watch pure skill, this modern era is a bit if a letdown
Modern drivers are just as good, you just don't get to see it as much sadly
So why are you commenting more than 10 years after you moved on. They are too big, too complicated, too many people involved abd far too quiet.
Sadly the sport I replaced it with is going a similar way with very quiet, complicated cars, thankfully the racing is still good.
I watched a bit of China, at the moment Ferrari were battling, it was briefly interesting, but not ear splittingly so as commentators have you believe, but even that us based on energy use and fakeness.
If you were brought up watching real me, race real cars, where you could see, hear and watch pure skill, this modern era is a bit if a letdown
Modern drivers are just as good, you just don't get to see it as much sadly
That is a bizarre obsession.
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