Martin Brundle says what he really thinks about new 2026 F1 cars | F1 | Sport
Martin Brundle said he has “no doubt we are in much better shape than 2014” as he cast a positive verdict on the new generation of Formula 1 cars. The legendary former racer and Sky Sports pundit was not in Bahrain for pre-season testing over the last two weeks, but was still a keen observer from home.
Plenty of drivers, not least Max Verstappen, have been critical of their new racing machines, particularly the engines which now rely on much more electrical power than before. But that means plenty of recharging and harvesting is required on a lap, forcing racers to take their foot off the accelerator more often which, naturally, they don’t tend to like.
The electrical power situation has also worried fans, who are concerned that the quality of the racing could be affected by batteries running out of charge at key moments. But Brundle is not among those who are concerned and offered a positive review of the cars from what he had seen of them from afar.
He wrote on social media: “I’m enjoying the ’26 F1 cars moving around so much. Makes me appreciate the drivers even more, they can’t just lean on massive downforce and stability. There are plenty of gremlins to be smoothed out but that’ll happen over the next few months.
“We may even get some great corners like Copse and Eau Rouge ‘back’. The top four look very close, of course the pack will be scattered as always happens with new regs, but I have no doubt we are in a much better shape than 2014.”
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He said: “I want to reassure the fans that it will [remain] an incredible spectacle. I was on the track [on Thursday] to see outside with a fan eye – I didn’t see any difference, whether it was the speed, the sound. And if there is anything that has to be addressed with the FIA, because that’s their duty, we have an incredible F1 Commission.
“There was a very open discussion to decide what could be the point that needs to be addressed to improve understanding of the more complex way to run the car internally, from the driver point of view. But outside, from the eye of the fan, this would not be seen. Therefore, I’m totally positive to say that there will be another incredible year and that’s really what I can say.
“We need to stay calm because, as always, when there is a new regulation, there’s always the doubt that everything is wrong. I remember in 2014, I remember in 2020 and I remember in 2021 and, as always, F1 as a system has always been proving that the technical solution will have always helped the teams to be fast and the drivers to be the best. So I’m totally positive for that.”
