Alex Albon questions whether F1 2026 rule tweaks can fix ‘purity’ concerns

Alex Albon doubts Formula 1’s newly-announced regulation tweaks will resolve all of the drivers’ complaints, but it is a step in the right direction.

Formula 1 introduced brand new engine regulations this season, which included a 50/50 split in combustion and battery power as well as power boosts.

Alex Albon questions F1 2026 rule tweaks impact

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The drivers, and fans, have not been impressed.

The drivers have been forced to harvest battery power and super clip, even in qualifying laps, as they siphon power from the combustion engine into the battery as it is depleted near the end of the straights.

“Mario Kart” is what the drivers have dubbed it.

But then came the “mushroom” boost as Oliver Bearman closed in on Franco Colapinto at 50 kph at the Japanese Grand Prix and had to take evasive action, which led to a huge 50 G impact at Spoon Curve in Japan.

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After last Friday’s discussion with the drivers, as revealed by PlanetF1.com, the FIA sat down with Formula One Management, the team bosses and the power unit manufacturers to discuss a way forward on Monday.

That meeting led to several changes with maximum permitted recharge reduced from 8MJ to 7MJ during qualifying, while the maximum boost power during a grand prix will be capped at +150 kW going forward.

That should reduce the need to harvest battery power and super clip.

The sport’s bosses also agreed on a change to the race starts, with a new ‘low power start detection’ system developed, which will trigger an automatic MGU-K deployment to mitigate start-related risks.

A good step forward said Albon, but by no means a solution to all the problems.

“Positive, definitely towards the right direction,” the Williams driver said during an event organised by FanCode.

“Is it going to fix everything? Likely not, but how much can we actually fix? I think we’ve gone the right way to address a lot of the purity of the sport.”

Fundamentally, though, the Thai-British racer reckons the biggest problem facing today’s Formula 1 is that the cars are no longer flat-out, and won’t be even with the tweaks.

The onus is now on the driver to manage his pace throughout an entire lap to achieve the fastest lap possible, not to go the fastest he genuinely can.

“Yeah, so basically the biggest thing I think is when you think about karting, when you think about everything we’ve done until this year, to go faster, you just drive as fast as you can. It’s as simple as that.

“This year, the game has changed, where there are many situations where, by driving slower, you can go faster, and so it lacks the pureness of the sport in many ways.”

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