After more than 58 years watching Formula 1, modern F1 feels like peak engineering… and peak spreadsheet.
The 2026 cars are more or less fast, but you don’t really “drive” them anymore, you manage energy, tyres, targets, and instructions from a moving strategy department.
A few hundred meters before a corner the engine drops off like it suddenly remembered fuel efficiency exists. Nothing is wrong, It’s just the battery running out, and the engine note falling off a cliff killing drama.
Then there’s lift and coast, basically telling drivers: “be fast, but also don’t actually race into the corner.”
And yes, it’s still violent when it goes wrong, huge closing speeds, 50G hits, all of that. Safety improved survival, but the closing speeds didn’t get the memo.
So it’s still F1??. Or just less roar, more algorithm.
The 2026 cars are more or less fast, but you don’t really “drive” them anymore, you manage energy, tyres, targets, and instructions from a moving strategy department.
A few hundred meters before a corner the engine drops off like it suddenly remembered fuel efficiency exists. Nothing is wrong, It’s just the battery running out, and the engine note falling off a cliff killing drama.
Then there’s lift and coast, basically telling drivers: “be fast, but also don’t actually race into the corner.”
And yes, it’s still violent when it goes wrong, huge closing speeds, 50G hits, all of that. Safety improved survival, but the closing speeds didn’t get the memo.
So it’s still F1??. Or just less roar, more algorithm.
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