'I might get shot for saying this' - F1 champion HATES racing in 2026

nigel mansell, sebastian vettel, aston martin, 2022, silverstone — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 News & Gossip

'I might get shot for saying this' - F1 champion HATES racing in 2026

An F1 champion delivered a passionate takedown of the new cars

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Wednesday 29 April 2026 14:27

F1 champion and legend Nigel Mansell has given his passionate take on the 2026 cars, branding the new method of overtaking 'false'.

Thus far in 2026, the 50-50 split between the internal combustion engine (ICE) and electrical power has been unpopular with fans with drivers having to harvest energy and deploy it around a lap.

The all new power boost has led to criticism that racing has become artificial or akin to 'Mario Kart', encouraging back-and-forth overtaking rather than the driver being in control of a manoeuvre.

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It is exactly this quirk of the new regulations that has drawn the ire of four-time F1 champion Max Verstappen, who has been joined in his views by the 1992 world champion Mansell.

Mansell: Drivers not in control

Speaking to Autosport, Mansell reflected on the new rules and gave his passionate but honest take on the new cars, warning F1 that they needed to 'be careful'.

"I might get shot for saying this, but sadly some of the overtakes are just totally false," Mansell said.

"I mean, some of the overtakes look great and then you come out of the next corner and the car just blasts past you and the other car goes backwards because the 'computer' is giving you the extra power not at the right time, and the driver doesn't control that obviously, because he wouldn't have employed it.

"I think it was Lando who quoted 'I didn't want to overtake him going into the fast corner and into the chicane. But I had no choice'. And then coming out of the corner he's in the lead, and then the car just blasts past him again going down the straight.

"I think you've got to be very careful because, forget me, it doesn't matter about me. But the fans around the world, I know an awful lot of them are very grumpy. And to be fair to the fans, I agree with them."

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F1 2026 regulations Nigel Mansell