Perez doesn't expect better racing in '26: 'We should really enjoy it now'

What do F1 drivers think of the 2026 technical regulations?

Piastri highlights the story from two sides. On the one hand, the new rules create more distribution in the field, but constantly keeping the same rules is not an option either. "I think every time the regs have changed, it's led to a pretty big spread, especially with engines, 2014 being the last time with that and kicking off a really long period of dominance. And I think we've seen even with these regs, we're only just starting to catch up to Red Bull week in, week out now."

"I think we have an important place in, I guess, society to be at the forefront of technology and innovation, and I think that's always what F1 has been about in some ways," the Australian continued. ''I guess you could argue that sometimes that does come at the cost of the racing, which is always a shame. But, yeah, I think both points are kind of separate really. I wouldn't be surprised if the teams sort of separated a bit more in 2026, both with different aero regs, and especially the engine regs. There's a very big chance, I would say, that the teams are going to be more spread out than what they are now. But, yeah, we'll have to wait and see."

Hamilton hopes the field will not be too far apart because of the change in rules. "It's probably similar to what Oscar said. I think it's difficult to say, but more often than not, when they've done the changes, some teams do better than others, and there is a bit of a difference early on. I hope that with this new regulation change everything's a bit closer and the engines aren't completely revamped. It’s not like moving from V8 to V6, so hopefully through that, that doesn't make too big a difference. Then it's just about getting the cars right."

Perez is the only one who thinks the rules should remain consistent. "I think we’ve got to enjoy the year and a half that we got left with this regulation and this very close racing, because there's always the potential that someone is going to get it right, very right. We've seen some other teams have done that in the past, and then it's really difficult. It takes years to catch up. So I do expect that to happen in ‘26. As always, I think the best for the sport will be to keep the rules as consistent as possible. But also, as Oscar said, there is a lot to do with the sport, with the technology involved to attract new manufacturers."

This article was written in collaboration with Olly Darcy