The 2026 Formula 1 regulations have come under unprecedented attack following the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps, with drivers Lando Norris and Max Verstappen joining former driver turned commentator Martin Brundle in a chorus of criticism aimed at the championship's controversial power unit rules.
Norris, who qualified third before taking a 10-place grid penalty and recovering to seventh, was scathing about the current generation of power units. "It's got nothing to do with you as a driver, really," the McLaren driver said. "It's a shame that there are so many things that can dictate your own pace in qualifying. It's not down to the driver. It's just down to hoping you get lucky that the power unit does what it should do, and doesn't do something silly."
The 2026 regulations, which introduced heavily revised power units with a greater reliance on electrical deployment and energy recovery, have been blamed for creating "yoyo racing" — where overtakes are determined primarily by battery levels rather than driver skill — and "superclipping," the phenomenon of drivers being forced to lift off through high-speed corners to harvest energy.
Verstappen, who finished third behind Andrea Kimi Antonelli and Charles Leclerc, described his opening lap in vivid terms. After jumping polesitter Antonelli at the start, the four-time world champion was quickly overtaken by the Mercedes driver and then Leclerc's Ferrari on the Kemmel Straight. "I looked in my mirror and just saw a red rocket coming," Verstappen said. "I was like, 'Oh, I'll just hold my line because if I move here, we're going to have an airplane shunt.'" The Dutchman joked that racing in 2026 feels like "a jungle" and previously warned the cars had comparable power to Formula 3 machinery in qualifying trim at Spa.
Brundle, who has commentated on Formula 1 for decades for Sky Sports F1, offered a damning verdict. "I've got a bit of a tear in my eye, because we've lost all the great corners at Silverstone and here we are at Spa with the same situation," Brundle said. "These new regulations hurt us on the high-speed circuits." He noted that drivers were lifting through Eau Rouge — a corner historically taken flat-out — to recharge batteries, calling for the concept to be eliminated "as soon as possible," with a return to V8 engines mooted for 2030.
Norris added that the power unit inconsistencies have plagued him throughout 2026. "Honestly, it's been costing me the whole year. This is the first weekend I think all season I've been competitive in the straights." He noted that teammate Oscar Piastri suffered the opposite issue in qualifying, further evidence of the unpredictable nature of the current power units.
While the FIA and F1 management have proposed tweaks for 2027 and 2028, the consensus from Spa is clear: the 2026 regulations in their current form have created a product where engineering and energy management overshadow driver ability on the sport's most demanding circuits.
Sources
- https://www.crash.net/f1/news/1101517/1/its-not-down-driver-lando-norris-launches-fresh-pu-attack-despite-getting-lucky
- https://www.crash.net/f1/news/1101516/1/welcome-f1s-jungle-how-max-verstappen-avoided-airplane-shunt-spa
- https://www.crash.net/f1/news/1101514/1/these-new-regulations-hurt-martin-brundle-offers-brutal-assessment-new-f1-rules
