Lance Stroll gets candid about the 2026 F1 regulations and how it isn’t at all enjoyable as opposed to F3 and GT3 cars that he drove in the mini-break.
The chorus on 2026 F1 regulation is never ending. The discussions were same in the first three races and it has continued in Miami GP, even after the mini break. In between, the FIA has sprung in some changes to limit the extremes from Miami onward, whether in qualifying and or the race.
Fundamental flaw in F1 2026
But those changes still doesn’t solve the flawed system as Aston Martin’s Stroll explained when asked in a print media session ahead of the F1 Miami GP. “I think it’s fundamentally just so flawed,” he said, in agreement with Max Verstappen. “I’m not an engineer, but maybe there’s still a lot of things that can be done.
“I heard that fuel flow is difficult with the combustion size of the engine we have now, and all this stuff, and yeah, I don’t have all the answers. It’s sad that we’re in this situation,” summed up Stroll, who feels that F1 is miles off from where it should be, as the pinnacle of motor racing.
Old F1 races, cars vs current cars no match
He revealed watching old races and video comparisons with the current cars and it didn’t look good. He simply doesn’t enjoy driving the current F1 cars, especially after driving the F3 and GT3 cars in the mini break. “I think we’re miles off from where we should be,” continued Stroll.
“We had time off in the break, I was like randomly watching old races and stuff. And I even had the Monaco historics on the TV. And I heard some Ferrari cars from early 2000s and how good they sounded, and how small and nimble [they were].
“There were some onboards I saw from, early, or even mid-2000s in the V8 era, V10 era, and what it looks like versus now, it came up on my phone and stuff, and I was watching it. You hear what it’s like now, and the character of the cars, and how much more intense it looked, and how much more exciting it looked back then. Yeah, it’s a bit sad, but hopefully we’re heading in that direction.
Stroll finds no fun driving current F1 cars
“[Simply, at the moment], F1’s not so fun to drive. I drove other cars over the break. I tested some F3 cars, and it’s like a thousand times more fun and better to drive because your right foot, you give what you want, and you get what you want. Even the weight of the car, 550-650 kilos are a lot nicer than 750-800 plus kilos.
“Things like that just make cars fun to drive. And then the sound and the noise. I mean, I’m saying it, but everyone that hears a car from the V8 era, V10 era, is going like, ‘Wow, that’s amazing, that’s F1.’ And you hear it now, de-rating going into a corner, downshifting, going into a corner with no character, no noise,” summed up Stroll.
No surprise to F1 drivers
The Canadian is not surprised how the 2026 regulations turned out to be. Stroll concurs with several of his F1 colleagues, who warned about flaws which will not make driving as exciting as it has been. At the same time, he can sense that FOM has to see the business side of things too.
“We saw it coming,” said Stroll. “Everyone said, for the last year and a half or however long it’s been, adding these batteries, taking off downforce from the cars to support the batteries, and all this stuff, is not looking good. And now we got what we expected to have.”
Two perspectives: One of F1 and other of drivers
“It’s probably more frustrating for Aston Martin than for Mercedes right now! But that’s F1. It is what it is. Hopefully it gets better. [F1 has different say] because F1’s a business, and they want to protect their business, and they look good, and we’re drivers, and we know what it feels like to drive good cars, so there’s two different perspectives on it.
“People are watching the sport no matter what, and watching the Netflix, turning on F1 – so F1 is happy. But the drivers, the fans, the people that really know about racing, know what it was before, the drivers that know what it’s like to drive really good, proper cars.
“There’s no hiding from the fact that right now it’s not as good as it can be. It’s far from as good as it can be,” summed up Stroll, who feels there is some positive discussions and hopes the direction is better, with the rumours he has heard, especially with regards to return of V8 F1 power units, using sustainable methods.
Stroll hopes it is slightly better with F1 Miami GP changes
“Hopefully it’s better, with all the part-throttle and all this stuff, it’s just destroying the racing qualifying laps,” said Stroll, while referring to the changes from Miami GP onward. “So, hopefully it’s a bit more normal to drive, we don’t have to think so much about all the management and lift and coast and how much throttle we put and all this stuff.
“But I think we’re still far away from proper F1 cars and pushing flat out without thinking about batteries and all those stuff. I hear rumours about it. I mean, for the next regs. But now we’re going to have to live with these ones for the next three-four years.
“But now we’re going to head in that direction, it’s loud, fast, light, nimble machines that are exciting for the fans, exciting for the drivers, you really feel like you’re pushing on the limits,” summed up Stroll. Despite all the negative say, the Canadian is not looking out of F1 as such.
Stroll is not leaving F1
In the mini break, Stroll competed in the GT World Europe Championship’s round in Paul Ricard, but he isn’t thinking about a switch. It was more on the one-off side of things, that he had free time and he entered in the competition with his friends. But his goal remains to compete at the front in F1.
He doesn’t want to miss out on fighting for potential F1 world championship in the future. “No, because I still have, I still have a lot of belief in this project, and I think the project is so far from, our potential,” continued Stroll. “Adrian joined the team, we have this, the new factory, the new wind tunnel, stuff that, everyone knows, and I believe this team has a lot of potential.
“I want to be in it, and see, and be a part of this team when, we do get to the point where I believe we’re capable of getting to, in two, three years time, I’m sitting on the sofa, and I’m watching, two green cars at the front of the field, and if I’m not a part of it, it will bother me?
“So yeah, I want to be a part of that, and hopefully, as and whilst that happens, the cars become better and more fun to drive, which all the drivers would like that, I mean, it’s not just me, I mean, some guys can say it, some guys cannot say it because of contracts and stuff, but, yeah, I do hope that these cars can get much better over the years, and nice cars,” summed up Stroll.
