F1 legend Martin Brundle highlights major issue for FIA - 'they've got to get rid of that'

Martin Brundle speaks into a Sky Sports microphone — Photo: © IMAGO

FIA

Martin Brundle highlights major issue for FIA - 'they've got to get rid of that'

Martin Brundle has previously been on side with the new rules

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Wednesday 8 April 2026 08:27

Sky Sports F1 pundit Martin Brundle has hit out at one part of the 2026 regulations that the FIA 'must get rid of'.

Until now, Brundle has largely been onside with the wholesale regulation changes which swept into the sport back in January, defending the increased emphasis on electrical energy and the added responsibility on the drivers to manage their battery capacity via social media.

But others have not been quite so complimentary about the new rules, including four-time world champion Max Verstappen - who has constantly reiterated that the new cars are not fun to drive and has even threatened to quit the sport unless changes are made.

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Brundle has now revealed what spooked him the most about the Japanese Grand Prix weekend last time out in Suzuka.

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"One thing that really worried me was Lando Norris saying 'I didn't want to overtake Lewis Hamilton, but my battery decided it did and then I had nothing to defend with'," Brundle said on the Sky F1 show.

2025 world champion Norris beat Hamilton to a fifth-place finish, but admitted after the race that where he overtook the seven-time champion was not where he was planning on completing the move.

"Now there's a regulation in Formula 1," Brundle continued. "It's been around forever. It's very simple and far reaching: ‘The driver must drive the car alone and unaided’, and I think that's what I talked about linearity, the driver shouldn't have any surprises by a self-learning car.

"They've got to get rid of that. I'm sure it's not the work of a moment, but the power delivery must be proportional to what the driver is doing with the throttle. That's a fundamental. It has to be linear as I said. So it's a big issue for the FIA."

2026 regulations offer huge problems for the FIA

As well as the lack of enjoyment that some F1 stars have admitted to feeling with the new rules, there are also some safety concerns, which were exacerbated by an incident at the Japanese Grand Prix.

On lap 22, Haas' Oliver Bearman appeared to be caught out by how quickly his car caught up to the back of Alpine's Franco Colapinto, whose car was harvesting energy at a usually high-speed section of the track.

In order to avoid Colapinto, Bearman swerved onto the grass, but this caused his car to spiral out of control and into the barriers.

Williams driver Carlos Sainz launched a scathing assessment of the FIA after the incident, claiming that drivers had not been listened to about their concerns, and Brundle hinted on the above podcast that this is yet another issue that F1's governing body are facing.

"It is a big problem for the FIA," he continued. "The safety of the drivers is of course sacrosanct, but I think they are only fourth in line, in terms of priority. The top priority is the fans because they're paying to be there. They haven't bought into any element of risk and they have to be protected.

"Next up is the marshals, the corner workers. Because they're not being paid to be there, but they assume an element of risk because they're track side.

"Next up for me are the pit stop crew in terms of priorities. And finally, the drivers. The cars are pretty safe.

"Everybody's health is and safety is sacrosanct, but the FIA will now have to make a change for Miami because the drivers have voiced this. It's very much out there. I would be pretty certain they've put that in writing through the Grand Prix Driver Association as well.

"So, if a car flies into the crowd now and they haven't done something, shown some due diligence on this, then the FIA will be in for the high jump."

Written by

Sam Cook - Digital Journalist

Sam Cook is a talented young sports journalist and social media professional who now specialises in Formula 1, having previously worked as a football journalist and a local news reporter for a variety of different brands.

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F1 Max Verstappen Lando Norris 2026 regulations Martin Brundle