Martin Brundle believes that the 2026 single-seaters have distorted some of the championship’s greatest circuits. The former driver is already calling for this concept to be abandoned by 2030.
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Martin Brundle did not hide his disappointment after the Grands Prix held at Silverstone and Spa-Francorchamps. For the former Formula 1 driver, the technical regulations introduced in 2026 have profoundly altered the driving experience on the fastest circuits of the F1 calendar.
The reason for this is the highly complex energy management, which has become a central element of the new single-seaters’ performance.
“We have lost the great corners”
Since the start of the season, many drivers regret no longer being able to attack fully in fast corners, with the constraints related to energy deployment and recovery requiring constant management.
Brundle fully shares this observation.
“I think they are all struggling to fully understand how these cars work, to be honest.”
The British pundit even admits to a certain nostalgia.
“It almost brings tears to my eyes, because we’ve lost all the great corners at Silverstone. And we’re seeing exactly the same situation here at Spa.”
According to him, the new rules particularly penalize high-speed circuits.
“These regulations are hurting us on fast circuits.”
Adjustments already planned
In response to numerous criticisms, Formula 1 and the FIA have already approved several developments for the upcoming seasons.
From 2027, power distribution will be modified to reduce reliance on electric energy, with a greater share entrusted to the internal combustion engine.
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This evolution will be accentuated in 2028, in the hope of making the cars more natural to drive.
Brundle wants to turn the page definitively
However, the former driver believes that these corrections will not be enough.
In his view, Formula 1 will have to completely abandon this technical philosophy during the next major regulation overhaul.
“We are going to make changes in 2027 and 2028, but this concept will have to be gotten rid of as soon as possible, in 2030 or 2031.”
Despite his criticisms, Brundle acknowledges that the single-seaters remain impressive to observe.
“That being said, these are the cars we have today. When I see them on track on Friday, they look incredibly fast. And when they race side-by-side, with overtakes and changes of trajectory, the spectacle is very enjoyable.”
However, he believes that teams still have a lot of work to do to master all the subtleties of this generation of cars.
“For now, they still need to manage to dominate all this complexity, and there is a lot of it.”
For Brundle, while the current single-seaters still offer an impressive visual spectacle, they have moved away from what constituted the essence of Formula 1 on the most legendary circuits of the calendar.
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