Verstappen and Alonso lead criticism of the impact of the new regulations on driving style
The first week of pre-season testing for Formula 1 in Bahrain came to a close on Friday (13th). Three days of testing brought mileage, adjustments, and some reliability issues – something expected in a completely new regulatory cycle. However, unlike other pre-seasons, the main takeaway doesn’t seem to be the numbers on the timesheet. It’s the statements made by the drivers.
What really caught attention were the public criticisms from pilots about the new technical concept of Formula 1.
The 2026 season marks the biggest technical transformation in the category’s recent history. The new regulations introduced a practically equal division between combustion and electric energy – 50% for each side – as well as profound changes in aerodynamics, dimensions, and energy usage philosophy. The promise was innovation, efficiency, and sustainability. The reaction, at least in this first week, was discomfort.
Fernando Alonso was straightforward. The Spaniard stated that the “good” cars were those from the 90s and 2000s and joked that even a chef could handle the turn 12 in Bahrain with the current level of assistance and predictability. The criticism isn’t just nostalgic – it’s conceptual. Alonso suggests that the challenge has ceased to be in pure driving.
Max Verstappen followed a similar line, but with a different approach. The Dutchman stated that it’s no longer about driving on the limit, but rather about managing energy. In a strong phrase, he compared the new generation of cars to “a Formula E with steroids”. The provocation highlights the discomfort with the strategic weight of electric management.
And that’s where the center of the discussion is
The old ERS, which has been part of F1 since 2014, always required management. But now electrification has gained absolute prominence. The driver needs to regenerate much more energy per lap, control acceleration and deceleration phases with almost mathematical precision, and use the overtaking modes knowing that the extra energy consumed will need to be replaced in the next lap.
The “lift and coast” – a technique of taking the foot off the pedal before braking to save and regenerate energy – has become an almost constant tool. Overtaking depends less on audacity and more on energy calculation. The attack button has become a strategic resource that completely changes the rhythm of the next lap.
The question that arises after this first week is not about who was the fastest. It’s about what kind of Formula 1 is being born.
It’s still early for definitive conclusions. All change generates resistance, and drivers have always been naturally conservative when it comes to the essence of driving. But the fact that multiple champions and grid leaders are vocalizing discomfort already indicates that the impact of the new era may be deeper than imagined.
If reliability and performance tend to evolve over time, the sensation of the drivers is something more difficult to recalibrate. And perhaps the great takeaway from these three days in Bahrain is not in the telemetry data, but in the clear feeling that, for many inside the cockpit, Formula 1 has changed – and changed a lot. And not for the better.
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