F1 champion claims the sport is 'very dangerous', hits back at Stefano Domenicali

Nigel Mansell and Lewis Hamilton in 2014 — Photo: © IMAGO

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F1 champion claims the sport is 'very dangerous', hits back at Stefano Domenicali

An F1 champion has rendered Stefano Domenicali's claims false

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Thursday 30 April 2026 10:57

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F1 legend and 1992 champion Nigel Mansell have given his honest take on the 2026 cars and regulations, claiming the sport is 'very dangerous'.

The champion recently branded the new cars, which are heavily reliant on harvesting and include a boost button to aid overtakes, as 'false' and agreed with 'grumpy' fans who have voiced their discontent with the direction Formula 1 has taken..

Mansell's voice has also joined numerous F1 drivers, from Max Verstappen to Lando Norris, in their displeasure with the new cars and has found common ground with them again on the grounds of safety.

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F1 CEO and president Stefano Domenicali staunchly defended the new cars recently, praising the increased overtakes and even making comparisons to the 1980s with regard to lifting and coasting.

He told Autosport: "Some people are saying it is artificial. What is artificial? Overtaking is overtaking.

"And people have a short memory because in the turbo age in the 1980s - I was already following quite well Formula 1 - the lift-and-coast using different turbo, different speed and you have to save in racing because otherwise the fuel tank was too small.

"Maybe some of the people are criticising or having some comments have a short memory. So look back in the 80s, the turbo time, these things were there."

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Mansell discredits Domenicali's claims

Mansell has since responded to Domenicali's comments in his own interview with Autosport, flat-out saying: "No, we didn't.

"If we lifted and coasted, it was like feathering. Feathering a throttle when you're slipstreaming somebody and deciding not to overtake them. That's saving fuel and feathering. And that's smart.

"Having to use a computer just to take over the running of the car and harvest for the battery, that's something totally different. And we didn't slow down 50 to 70k's going into the fastest corners.

"It's a bit of a stretch to compare that, I have to say. Not that you've asked me, but I do sympathise with the drivers enormously. I think it's very dangerous at the moment and we got away with one terrible accident in Japan already.

"That was luck. He could have been hurt really bad, Oliver. Let's just tweak it, so it's not as bad as to what it appears to be."

F1 2026 regulations Stefano Domenicali Nigel Mansell