F1 CEO and president Stefano Domenicali has urged fans to “stay calm” over the series’ new 2026 regulations, which have already come under fire before the season has started.
F1’s wholesale regulation changes for 2026 revolve around a much more powerful electric motor and sustainable fuels, measures which have attracted involvement from Audi, GM and Ford and enticed Honda to make a U-turn on its decision to walk away.
But the ambitious, near-50/50 split of electric energy and combustion energy has caused teams and drivers plenty of headaches thus far. In Bahrain pre-season testing, cars didn’t have enough energy available to go flat out over an entire lap.
Several lead drivers have also voiced their displeasure over the dramatic energy harvesting techniques the new power units require, even if the lighter and smaller cars themselves have generally received the thumbs-up. There also doubts in some corners over the safety of extreme closing speeds and over cars not having enough energy on the straights to provide overtaking opportunities.
Those issues are expected to be an even greater challenge at other circuits on the calendar like Melbourne’s Albert Park, the opening venue of the 2026 season.
But while governing body the FIA and commercial rightsholder FOM leave the door open further case-by-case tweaks if necessary, whether on safety grounds or for the benefit of the on-track spectacle, F1 chief Domenicali says the F1 community shouldn’t overreact to the new regulations before a competitive lap has been turned in Australia.
“I don’t feel this anxiety, we need to stay calm because as always when there is something happening with new regulations there’s always the doubt that everything is wrong,” Domenicali told reporters, including Autosport.
“I can really assure you that in the F1 Commission there has been an open discussion to put on the table possible solutions to address this kind of [lack of energy] issue. And therefore, there’s going to be a meeting before the start of the season to avoid overreaction, because it’s pretty clear we need to avoid overreaction. We just stepped into a new journey, so that’s why we need to stay calm.
“And if there is something that is useful and can be implemented straight away, I’ve seen a very open approach by the FIA and also the teams showing the same kind of approach to eventually solve this kind of issues that are on the table to be solved and fixed.”
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Domenicali doesn’t buy into concerns over a potential lack of overtaking, and having watched cars trackside at Bahrain pre-season testing, he is adamant the new generation of cars is just as exciting the watch as the previous one.
“I don’t understand what all this panicking is that’s going around, because there will be an incredible racing, there will be a lot of action,” he explained. “And that’s why as I said prudence is always part of my style.
“And in any case, if something is not as we would [want it], I think that the credibility of the sport is we can sit down with responsible people, the technical people and the FIA, to find solutions.
“I want to reassure the fans that this is an incredible spectacle, because I was just on the track to see outside with a fan’s eye. I didn’t see any difference whether it was speed, sound.
“Of course, the most sophisticated fans will understand the different sounds in a certain situation, but I guarantee that the 99.9% of the fans will not feel that because it’s impossible. And therefore, I want to be positive in that respect. And as I said if something has to be rectified there will be the time and the measure that we can do together as a system to react.”
Max Verstappen led driver criticism of the new power unit rules, labelling them as “anti-racing” and Formula E” on steroids, while fellow world champions Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton also voiced concerns. But Domenicali said he had found the drivers to be constructive when he met them over the Bahrain test.
“I had a meeting with all the drivers here and everyone understands it’s different but there is a very big wish of being constructive,” he said.
“I just finished the meeting with Charles, I meet all the drivers. I met yesterday Max because as you know Max has a way of saying something that could be sometimes interpreted in a certain way. I
“I guarantee to you that Max loves and cares about Formula 1 more than anyone else. He has a way of putting the point that he wants to say in a certain way, but we had a very constructive meeting. And we’ll have a very constructive meeting also with the federation and the teams to highlight what his points of view are of what he believes needs to be done to keep the driving style at the centre without changing the approach.
“By the way, the comments of the first day are already different from the comments of the third day of driving. This will evolve. I’m pretty sure that when we’re going to sit down together in the middle of the year or at the end of the year, you will see a different picture.”
Domenicali dismissed suggestions that four-time world champion Verstappen would walk away because the new regulations were not to his liking. “I have a very good relationship with Max,” he added. “I know him very, very well. I spend a lot of time with him. And he loves Formula 1. There’s no doubt about it.”
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