2026 F1 cars' inconsistent behaviour prompts drivers to feel 'weirded out'
The upcoming set of regulations are banking on a - as of yet still to be set in stone - 50-50 power output split between the electrical and combustion engine components of the power unit, this, brings about a behaviour that catches F1 drivers out.
According to Carlos Sainz, that is. Speaking to media like GPblog prior to Hungarian Grand Prix, the Spaniard was asked for his thoughts on the upcoming regulations.
As a reference he was given the dissatisfactory opinions shared by Leclerc and Verstappen on the imminent change.
'Power down the straight estabilises and starts to go down'
"Well, I think there are two factors. One: the great power that the car has when it has power.
"But how fast that power is cut in the straight..." Added Sainz concurring with his Dutch and Monegasque coleagues' assessments.
"It's a strange feeling as a driver, because you have grown all your life with a constant power that takes you until the end of the straight.
"In the next year's car, the power drops to a point where your speed in the straight even stabilises and starts to go down," revealed Sainz.
After reaffirming the strange feeling transmitted to the drivers by the 2026 F1 cars' power output, Sainz explained that as F1 drivers, "are used to going faster and faster in the straight."
Power output varies at different times and different points from lap to lap
However, the behaviour of the poer deployment also fluctuates, again, bringing about a feeling of weirdness in the F1 drivers.
"The second [factor] is the variability that there is from one lap to the next," said Sainz.
"Sometimes the power continues and is cut off before and others after, and it is totally dependent on the energy that you regenerate.
"It makes the driver feel strange because each straight is a different power and speed."
When asked point blank if he enjoyed it, Sainz, much like Lewis Hamilton, refrained from going one way or the other.
"Until I try it on the track, I prefer not to give my verdict."
Popular on GPBlog
Leclerc speaks about Hamilton in past tense and waters down impact at Ferrari
Horner soaks up summer life with Geri Halliwell on superyacht after Red Bull sacking
F1 champion backs Hamilton’s Ferrari shake-up as Brit pushes for major changes
