David Coulthard has voiced his issues concerning the potential affect of the 2026 F1 rules on Grand Prix racing’s core identification.
The FIA’s June unveiling of the technical rules for 2026, with its deal with a a lot bigger electrification aspect, has sparked discussions a few basic shift in System 1.
For the primary time within the hybrid period, energy will probably be cut up equally between the inner combustion engine and electrical energy, with the complicated MGU-H system being dropped.
Final yr, Purple Bull workforce boss Christian Horner expressed his fears of F1 designs turning into “Frankenstein vehicles” and far too gradual as a result of utilizing virtually 50% electrical energy was impractical.
Horner’s Mercedes counterpart Toto Wolff additionally just lately voiced his worries over the velocity of F1’s 2026 machines, though he hoped that engineering improvement would increase efficiency over time.
Nonetheless, Coulthard highlights a extra basic change on the horizon: the lap profile itself.
Learn additionally:
“I keep in mind years in the past, after I was a driver being requested ‘what do I take into consideration the rules?’ I mentioned I don’t and that was my job on the time,” Coulthard defined in an interview with PlanetF1.
“It’s for Adrian [Newey], the technical workforce, to consider the rules.
“It’s my job to consider the sporting guidelines, what can I exploit, what are the eventualities the place I might acquire a bonus? I used to be very a lot centered on areas that I might affect.
“Having mentioned that, I’ve a priority that I really feel is shared by the engineers and drivers that as we enhance them to a 50/50 electrical, inside combustion that adjustments the profile of the lap and the way the vehicles develop.
“In basic racing phrases. Your Vmax [maximum velocity] is on the finish of the straights and you then brake into the nook.
“There may be the potential actuality that they’ll speed up, after which they’ll begin decelerating in the direction of the braking zone so your Vmax will probably be someplace across the center of the straight, which is a distinct means of racing.
“In the event that they’re slower on the braking zone, they’ll brake later. So we might find yourself with a shorter braking distance which can be detrimental to overtaking – so Daniel Ricciardo’s dives on the within might not occur.”
“They may all race it, the very best drivers will win, the very best groups will win. However how we understand [it will change].”
Coulthard’s Channel 4 colleague and fellow F1 veteran Mark Webber additionally conveyed his worries concerning F1’s next-generation vehicles, and particularly their weight.
Whereas the elevated reliance on hybrid know-how will inherently add extra kilos to the vehicles, a shorter and narrower chassis ought to lead to a 30 kg discount in total weight.
However that gained’t lower it so far as Webber is worried.
“The load is a giant drawback,” he advised PlanetF1.com. “I imply, they’re simply too heavy.
“All of the drivers would love the vehicles to be lighter and once you put in one other 20 kilos in, you’ve obtained to place extra weight in to make it safer.
“30 kilos much less is like one string on a tennis racket. It’s nothing. So they should actually attempt to get 150 kilos out of the automotive sooner or later.
“They’re safer too. It’s not as protected for the drivers when the vehicles are heavier.
“I’ve crashed in the identical nook in a lightweight System 1 automotive and a heavy sports activities automotive in Brazil and within the affect, it’s actually not useful to have the additional weight as a result of the drivers are nonetheless a part of that inertia. So to have a lighter automotive is far safer.”
Hold updated with all of the F1 information by way of Fb and Twitter
