F1 icon has a plan to end 2026 regulations nightmare as drivers revolt

Jordan team-mates Damon Hill and Heinz Harald Frentzen in 1999 — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 2026

F1 icon has a plan to end 2026 regulations nightmare as drivers revolt

The 2026 regulations are not going down well with this year's F1 grid

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Saturday 14 February 2026 10:58

The 2026 F1 regulations are forcing drivers to completely rethink the way they go racing and the new cars have left champions such as Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton very unhappy.

However, one cult favourite star of the sport has offered his solution to the new ruleset as the modern drivers are up in arms over the technical demands of F1's new era.

Ahead of the first round of the 2026 F1 campaign next month, all 11 teams were offered three times the amount of pre-season testing they took part in this time last year.

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But so far, there have been far less breakdowns and dramas than perhaps expected in the garage, with the main talking points instead hailing from the fact that some of the best drivers on the grid are not taking well to the new technical style of driving the new cars demand.

2026 has introduced the biggest overhaul of chassis and engine regulations of the sport's modern era, with major changes to the aerodynamics of the new machinery and plenty of new gadgets meaning the drivers must adapt as they go.

There will also be a much bigger focus on electrical energy in 2026 and beyond, with racers having to focus on how best to manage and reserve their energy throughout a race instead of focusing on driving faster.

F1 HEADLINES: Verstappen destroys new regulations as Project Newey hits trouble

Heinz-Harald Frentzen offers 2026 solution after testing complaints

After F1 headed to Bahrain for pre-season testing this week, the overwhelming consensus is that the new regulations make these cars not just a pain to drive, but impossible to understand.

Seven-time champion Hamilton compared his SF-26 to a GP2 car, with reigning champion Lando Norris also stating his new McLaren felt more like F2 machinery.

Both Brits also admitted they didn't feel viewers at home would understand the new rules or the new style of driving, whilst Verstappen slammed the focus on management instead of actual racing.

Active aero, straight mode, corner mode and overtake mode are just some of the new terms viewers will have to get used to, with the language already a hot topic in testing.

But former F1 star Heinz-Harald Frentzen has offered up his opinion on how to fix the unpopular elements of the new regulations, taking to social media platform 'X' to post his thoughts on an example of what could be done to improve the 2026 rules.

The three-time grand prix winner wrote: "After listening to the Drivers, In my opinion F1 should rethink their energy storage recovery philosophy and Wing/Downforce configuration. Here one example concept.

"First they should run basically a lot more wing but still be retractable. When the wings come down they have more effect from being bigger wings at base but create more downforce in the corners.

"Second, energy recovery should only be done manually by the driver, for example when wings comes down a certain amount of charge should happen at the same time but still accelerate faster than on full wings. But driver himself is in charge and responsible.. What do think?"

Not everyone was convinced however, with one social media user's response proving Norris and Hamilton right by commenting: "F1 should stop caring of making these kind of stuff this hard and technical. Just make cars to push like animals all the race, bring back fuel stops and call it a day.

"None of these regulations have done anything actually good for the competition, it’s just boring to watch and impossible to understand..."

Written by

Kerry Violet - F1 News Editor

Having graduated from the University of Sheffield with a 2:1 in Journalism in 2022, Kerry continued her pursuit of finding a full-time position in motorsport through work with the F1 Arcade in London, where she got to meet true fans of the sport and make a live grand prix watch party memorable for them. It was here that she confirmed her dream of combining her background in journalism and love of motorsport, going on to volunteer with the female-led platform Empoword Journalism. Having completed stints as a screen editor and sports editor, Kerry landed her first F1-specific editorial role with GPFans and has thoroughly enjoyed continuing to work closely with the sport ever since. The access GPFans offers Kerry has allowed her to interview big names such as Naomi Schiff and David Coulthard and given her experiences she could only have dreamt of as a young F1 fan.

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F1 2026 regulations Heinz-Harald Frentzen