After a narrow escape during the Australian Grand Prix, Carlos Sainz is sounding the alarm. The Spanish driver believes that the new rules could cause a major accident if the FIA does not act quickly.
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The start of the 2026 Formula 1 season has already raised several safety concerns. During the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne, an incident at the start illustrated the fears expressed by several drivers since winter testing.
When the lights went out, Liam Lawson had a particularly slow start with his Racing Bulls, creating a significant speed difference with the cars behind him. Franco Colapinto then found himself forced to dodge the almost stationary car in front of him at the last moment, narrowly avoiding a spectacular collision.
For Carlos Sainz, this episode must be considered a serious warning for the sport.
“There are two main safety topics this year, explains the Spanish driver. The first concerns the starts and the situation you already saw during testing, and then again in Melbourne.”
The Williams driver believes that F1 has simply been lucky so far: “In Melbourne, we were extremely lucky that nothing happened between Liam and Franco. My feeling is that if nothing changes for the starts, we will sooner or later see one of these big crashes.”
Speed gaps worry drivers
Beyond the starts, another point of concern for drivers is the extremely high speed gaps on long straights.
With the new cars and increased energy management, drivers now use a specific mode called “straight mode” (SM) to maximize straight-line speed. However, this device leads to a significant reduction in aerodynamic downforce, making the cars much more unstable when they get close to each other.
Carlos Sainz believes that this configuration can quickly become dangerous in a duel situation: “The second point for me concerns overtaking with ‘SM mode’ on the straights and speed gaps of 40, 50, or even 60 km/h.”
“Without aerodynamic downforce with SM, the car becomes very tricky to control. It’s very borderline at the start, and it’s also very borderline when fighting wheel-to-wheel with another car.”
The FIA must act despite team interests
Modifying the rules mid-season could, however, face resistance from some teams, particularly those currently benefiting from the regulations’ characteristics.
Carlos Sainz nevertheless believes that safety must come before any sporting or strategic considerations.
“I think not everyone will necessarily agree, and that’s normal” he admits.
The Spanish driver points out that teams naturally defend their performance interests, but that Formula 1 should not depend solely on their approval.
“When you talk to the teams, there are always interests linked to performance. But F1 should have enough power to make decisions without depending on that.”
And Sainz concludes with a clear message addressed to the championship’s governing bodies.
“If the formula is not correct, some will complain because it doesn’t suit their car. But F1 shouldn’t worry too much about it and should simply do what is best for the sport.”
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