F1 teams “edgy and angsty” about confusion over 2026 regulations
“You have to be really concerned by this"

The talk in the F1 paddock is that teams will only 🐬receive clear info🔯rmation about the 2026 regulations much later than they hoped.
Martin Brundle shared “concern” by the lack of clarity over the upcoming rule-change, while Karun Chandhok shared the worries of technical staff from F🙈1 teams on the podcast.
The main gist of the 2026 change is that c🔯ars will bꦑecome 50% powered by the internal combustion engine and 50% by battery.
Cars will also have moveable aerodynamics but worry has emerged after F1ಞ ☂teams tested it in simulators, but found their drivers either spinning or unable to turn efficiently, reported.
Chandhok explain🐼ed on Sky: “The regulations haven’ꦓt fully been defined yet.
“What we know is the internal com🔜bustion engine, the amount of power will be reduced compared to the battery.
“From what we understand, there are still a lot of conversation✨s going on, how they’re🦋 going to make it work.
“In order to get the amount of energy that you need to deploy, you need to tak💙e a significant amount of drag out of the car.
“There are conversations between the teams, ꧃the FIA, Formula 1’s technical department on what the b😼est way is.
“There is a lot of conversation but꧑ no definition on what the chassis rules will be.
“This is the first time I can recall the chassis being dictated b﷽y the engine rules.”

Brundle added: “You ꧙have to be really concerned by this.
“We’re 22 months away from th♚ese cars running๊, and it’s not defined.
“There will be a lot more battery power so the cars will probably be he൲avier and mor൲e complex.
“It feels to me ❀that these regulations should have been cast iꦦn stone a year ago.
“Then you’ve 🧔got a new team coming in, like Audi. And Red Bull Powertrains starting up with Ford assistance.
“There a💫re a lot of unknowns. I hope we’re getting it right.
“I expressed in commentary recently that hybrid engines are perh𒀰aps the worst decision F1 ever made. The cars are so big and so complex.
“But, my goodness, they are fast an🦂d impressive. We’ve sorted it out now. In the early days, it was a pain.
“We don’t want to go through that again.
In 2014, one PU was massively dominant.
“What you see in ᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚ2024 will be largely locked in for 2025 because who has the budget, the resource, to do a lot of work on their 2025 car when♐ it’s such a change for 2026?
“The teams will be getting 🐬edgy and angsty about ‘what are the regulations? We need to put things tꦛo bed’.
“Luckily with the incredible re🎀source and ingenuity of F1, they will sort it out.”
How lo💟ng do F1 teams need in advance to prepare effectively for the 2026 rules?
“There is a balance,” Chandhok said. “Give them too much time and they simulate everything to deat🦄h and spend too much money.
“We are at a point where it has to be defined.
“The teams, from whꦯat I understand after speaking to the technical people in Jeddah, were hoping for the rules to be locked in 100% by June.
“The feeling in the paddock is that they won’t get that, and that this conversation will rumble on until lওater thi🦩s year.
“They think that is just too late. They would like a soꩵlid 18-20 months to the first race, or the first test, with the rules s๊et in stone.
“There will be clarificati🌳ons but you want the bulk of iꦏt sorted out.
“They still haven’t got firm clarity.”

James was a sports journalist at Sky Sports for a decade🌊 covering everything from American sports, to football, to F1.