Formula 1 rolled out sweeping regulations for 2026, bringing smaller, lighter cars to the track and increasing the emphasis on electrical energy in the power units. Since the launch of the season, however, these rules have proven to be divisive, which Liam Lawson believes was inevitable.
The Racing Bulls driver’s former team-mate Max Verstappen has been the most outspoken about F1’s new era, likening it to Formula E and Mario Kart, while reigning world champion Lando Norris has also criticised some aspects of the rules.
Now, Lawson has explained that while some complaints about the new rules are valid, such as the safety concerns raised after Oliver Bearman’s high-speed crash at Suzuka, racing drivers will “complain about everything”.
“At the end of the day, there's always going to be things that we want from the car,” the New Zealander told media including Motorsport.com.
“And we're going to probably, I mean, as racing drivers we kind of complain about everything, literally, so I think that'll never change. But I think on the regulation side, I think the biggest thing right now is probably the safety aspect of it, especially with what we saw in Japan.
“I think that's something that we want to avoid in the future going forward. And on the performance side, that's something that obviously will always evolve.”
This year’s cars are slower than their predecessors, with the top qualifying time around two seconds slower than 2025 at every grand prix so far this season. To try and cut that drop in pace down, teams up and down the grid are embroiled in a development race, with upgrades expected to cut lap times from the next race in Miami.
Lawson believes this will increase performance of the 2026 cars and is hopeful that incoming updates could make them “nicer to drive”.
"If you look at any other regulation, the start of it, there's been a huge sort of development over the five-year process that the regulations have been out,” he said. “So, I'm sure these will obviously evolve and get faster and I'm sure we'll find ways to make the cars nicer to drive.
“I hope that we do, because I think at the moment, especially in qualifying, we're trying to put the car on the limit and extract everything out of it in ways that at the moment it feels like we're not able to do that.”
The New Zealander added that safety will also be a priority for any tweaks that come to the 2026 regulations.
Such changes are in the works, as talks were held last week between F1, the FIA and engine manufacturers to uncover ways that the 2026 rules could be altered.
After the talks, the FIA confirmed that there was a “constructive dialogue” around changes to energy usage that could roll out, but added that further talks were scheduled to take place in the coming weeks.
