Over the past few days, fans and experts have been debating about the changes in regulations the FIA has introduced to the cars for the 2026 season. Some experts such as Mark Hughes have raised concerns about the cars being too slow in the corners.
Meanwhile, some other experts have claimed that the top speed along the straights will be much higher and risky for the drivers to control. Among such criticisms of the 2026 regulations, FIA technical director Jan Monchaux has issued a response by making it clear that the motorsports governing body remains committed to ensuring drivers’ safety.
“As things stand today, the maximum speed [from 2026] could be a little higher than the current one. But here too, we are aware of the concerns we have heard. We will ensure that the maximum speeds do not reach safety-relevant values, and we have the means to do so,” Monchaux explained.
The FIA technical director then added that the motorsports governing body has no interest in taking “absurd risks“. Monchaux also made it clear that fans will never see racers driving at speeds in excess of 380 km/h, for example, in Monaco. He is adamant “that [this] is nonsense and will not happen“.
While the FIA would have most likely made every attempt to ensure that the safety standards are maintained, experts are yet concerned that their proposed regulations for 2026 could be counterproductive. Experts such as Mark Hughes have explained their reasoning for the same.
FIA could have introduced counterproductive regulations for 2026
Over the past many years, the FIA has faced immense criticisms pertaining to the changes they make in the regulations. Previously, many had criticized the motorsports governing body for introducing rules that resulted in the cars becoming bigger and heavier.
As a result of the same, drivers have often found it difficult to overtake, especially on street circuits, because of the lack of space on the track. In order to tackle this issue, the FIA has now introduced regulations for 2026 that will push teams into producing smaller and lighter cars.
While such changes will likely result in drivers having more overtaking opportunities, some experts have claimed that the cars itself will be much slower in the corners. For example, Hughes said on The Race’s podcast,
“As things stand, they’ll be much slower over a lap as they have a lot less downforce. They have to have a lot less downforce because they have to have a lot less drag because there’s not enough energy. If you put it in the current aerodynamic format of the car, it would be disastrous“.
Hughes’ remarks seem to suggest that the FIA has introduced counterproductive rules for the 2026 season. By making the cars lighter with the idea of encouraging more overtaking in the future, the FIA has raised another potential concern of making the cars slower. If that is the case, F1 may lose some fans, who love the thrill of the high-speed action on the track.
