Four-time Formula 1 world champion Sebastian Vettel has echoed other drivers’ concerns about the sport’s 2026 regulations.
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Several drivers have argued the latest rules reduce the challenge of racing flat-out, make overtaking easier and more common, and may introduce safety issues. Vettel, who retired from F1 at the end of 2022, said he understands and shares those worries.
“From a sporting side I hear and echo the criticism,” he said. “The cars are probably fun to drive, but it’s perhaps not so enjoyable to race under these regulations and the difficulties they bring.
“I sympathise with the drivers and I’m determined not to lose the DNA and the heart of the sport, which is discovering the fastest driver in the fastest machine to win the race.”
The FIA has approved a number of adjustments to the new rules, most of which will take effect ahead of next week’s Miami round. “I hope from a sporting point of view that what they’re trying to address will make the drivers happier,” Vettel added, “because ultimately the drivers are the face of the sport.
“If they climb out of the car buzzing with adrenaline and excitement, that’s what fires up viewers on screens and fans in the stands.”
Several former drivers have voiced similar criticisms. Fellow world champion Nigel Mansell suggested the early races showed cars that “at times… are not actually racing.” Helmut Marko, who played a role in Vettel’s early career, argued a situation where “a full battery overtaking an empty one […] is not real overtaking.”
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F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has rejected the notion that the 2026 rules produce artificial racing. “What is artificial?” he said in a recent interview. “Overtaking is overtaking.”
Vettel made his comments at a press conference in Sweden, where he received an award recognizing his work promoting environmental and social change. The presentation was made by The Perfect World Foundation. Previous awardees have included Sir David Attenborough, Dr Jane Goodall and Prince Albert II of Monaco.
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