Martin Brundle admits he’s ‘hearing some scary things’ about 2026 F1 regulations

Follow us on Google Discover

Formula 1 unveiled its vision for the 2026 regulations ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix last month. After five seasons of the ground-effect era, the sport will push the reset button once again.

Many will bemoan the timing. Red Bull produced a run of historic dominance in 2022 and 2023 but their competitors have now closed up to revitalise the spectacle.

Max Verstappen may have won seven out of 11 races this year, but that statistic doesn’t paint a full picture. Since McLaren introduced their upgrades in Miami at the start of May, he’s only won three out of six.

There’s still little prospect of a genuine battle for the world championship this year, with Verstappen 81 points clear of Lando Norris. But after the most one-sided campaign ever, there have been a number of thrilling races, not least the Austrian GP, where Verstappen and Norris dramatically came together late on.

With Ferrari and Mercedes making clear progress this year too, it’s possible that four teams and eight drivers will go into 2025 thinking they can win the title. In that sense, it would seem an inopportune moment to change the rules.

Many would draw parallels to 2021, an all-time classic season that saw Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton scrap for the title. The following year, the new regulations came in, and the field naturally spread out, with Red Bull building a comprehensive gap.

Toto Wolff confident in 2026 regulations despite ‘scary’ Martin Brundle warning

Speaking to Toto Wolff ahead of the Austrian GP, Sky Sports F1’s Martin Brundle relayed his concerns about the new rules. But the Mercedes team principal doesn’t appear overly worried at this stage.

He admits that the first draft of the regulations doesn’t look ‘great’, but expects it to change significantly before it’s finalised. In his opinion, the FIA must listen to the teams in pursuit of an ‘exciting’ end product.

“Then we’ve got 2026, and I’m hearing some scary things about that,” Brundle said.

“Well, the regulations as they stand at the moment don’t look particularly great,” Wolff replied. “But it’s a work in progress.

“I would very much hope that the ones who are responsible on the FIA’s side listen to the teams, and that we work collaboratively on coming up with regulations that make it an exciting sport. That’s the most important thing for us stakeholders, and also the fans out there – to have really exciting racing.”

One F1 team ‘widely expected’ to have best engine in 2026

One headline feature of the new rules is the introduction of active aerodynamics. The cars will have movable front and rear wings to reduce drag down the straights but ensure adequate downforce through the corners.

Brundle has already said he would be ‘nervous’ about that system failing heading into a high-speed turn. He also ‘struggles to believe’ that teams will be able to make the cars 30kg lighter, as is the objective.

After all, they’ll be installing bigger batteries as they aim to go 50% electric. 1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve has warned of a ‘dangerous’ scenario where drivers are braking on straights to generate charge.

At this early stage, it’s Mercedes who are ‘widely expected’ to have the edge with their new-look power unit. The Silver Arrows stole a march on the field in 2014 when the V6 turbo/hybrid replaced the V8.

Carlos Sainz has heard that they are well-placed for 2026 too. And that’s why he’s willing to consider a move to Alpine, who are in early talks over an engine deal with the German giants.