Matt and Tommy sift through the 2026 F1 rule changes looking for positives despite the prevailing negativity. They highlight tactical battery deployment as a promising, more “defend as well as attack” alternative to DRS—if reliance is reduced. Overtakes are showing up in more places than just DRS zones, with Ferrari battles cited as proof. They also praise the chassis/aero direction for making cars look and feel more nimble and driver-controllable, while debating whether racing could become “optimal data” waiting. Starts are exciting but sometimes chaotic, and active aero is cool to watch though not fully satisfying.
Join us for the first of our two-parter about F1’s new regulations, as we look into some of their undeniable benefits. From more varied overtaking to tricky driving and some amazing-looking cars, there’s plenty to like - so let's try and stay positive!
Sign up to our Patreon for just $5 a month! You'll get access to every P1 episode ad-free, extended versions of every 2026 race review, early access to tickets & merch, and access to our Discord server where you can chat with us and other F1 fans! Click here to sign up now: http://patreon.com/mattp1tommy
"It's time to look at Formula One with some rose-tinted glasses. Isn't that right, Tommy? We're going to talk about the 2026 regulations..."
Formula One (F1) is the top tier of open-wheel racing, where teams build highly regulated race cars to compete across a global calendar. Because the sport is rule-driven, regulation changes can have a big impact on car behavior and race strategy.
"We're going to talk about the 2026 regulations and we're going to try and extract some positives from this season. Let's see how difficult that is."
Formula One has new rules for the 2026 season. Those rules change how the cars are built and how they perform, so fans debate whether the racing will be more exciting.
The 2026 Formula One regulations refer to the sport’s major rule changes that affect car design, power units, and overall performance targets. Fans often discuss them in terms of how they change racing—like overtaking, reliability, and the competitive balance between teams.
"And no, I actually think that there's a lot of negativity around the new rules, but when you dive into the positives, it's not all doom and gloom."
They’re talking about the new Formula 1 rules and how they change racing. When the rules change, teams have to redesign cars and the racing can feel different.
The hosts are discussing Formula 1’s newly introduced regulations and how fans perceive them. In F1, “rules” typically cover technical limits (car design) and sporting rules (how races are run), which can strongly affect racing quality.
"We'll start with the positives because the blueprints, there are things within the regulations that I do genuinely think can be fixed and can be turned around to make some good racing."
They’re using “blueprints” to mean the detailed plan behind the rules. Those details affect what teams can design, and that can change how the cars race.
“Blueprints” is a metaphor for the detailed plans and design constraints created by the regulations. In motorsport, these constraints determine what teams can build, which in turn shapes performance and on-track behavior.
"...and this is from, he's in Australia as well, and this is kind of like a little bit of a hype for the P1 Live shows in Australia."
They mention “P1 Live shows,” which are live events for the P1 brand. The drone video is basically promotion for those events in Australia.
“P1 Live shows” refers to live events connected to the P1 brand (the podcast/media outlet). The segment uses drone footage as promotional hype for those events in Australia.
"...And then DRS came in. Maybe it was 2011 when it ended. Either or."
DRS is a system that makes the car less “draggy” for a short time. Drivers use it in designated areas to help them go faster and make passing easier.
DRS (Drag Reduction System) is an F1 feature that temporarily reduces aerodynamic drag by adjusting a rear wing flap. It’s used to help cars gain speed in specific zones, typically to improve overtaking chances.
"...I like the fact that the drivers can have a say in when they deploy their energy."
The driver isn’t just “using power whenever”—they can choose the timing. That makes races more strategic because the best moment to use the boost can vary.
This highlights a key sporting/technical concept in F1: energy deployment is not just automatic—it’s a strategic choice for the driver (within system limits). That creates tactical variety because different drivers may time boosts differently for overtakes, defense, or managing tire/engine behavior.
"[378.5s] But the problem was you were kind of defenseless.
[380.8s] So in theory, if they tweak it to get it, it's never going to be absolutely perfect.
[386.8s] There's so many different scenarios in Formula 1 and some cars are quicker, some cars are slower."
In this context, “defenseless” describes how a car using DRS (or similar overtaking aids) can lose the ability to respond effectively when attacked. The speaker argues that if the system is tuned so drivers can defend as well as attack, it improves racing quality.
"... Alonzo overtook Hamilton at the hairpin in Bahrain because it was so unexpected because we were so ingrained of just wait for the DRS zone."
A hairpin is a very tight turn that usually happens after heavy braking. Passing there often means you brake later than the car ahead and get a strong run out of the corner.
A hairpin is a very tight, slow-speed corner where braking and traction matter most. Overtaking at a hairpin often relies on late braking, good traction out of the corner, and timing—making unexpected passes memorable.
"I mean, when have we ever seen an overtake into the final corner in China? Normally they'd just wait for the next straight. And we saw that a few times."
Passing at the last corner is unusual because most overtakes usually happen on straights. This implies drivers are getting creative and finding other ways to get alongside and make the move.
Passing into a final corner is notable because it’s often not the classic “attack on the straight” setup. It suggests drivers are finding alternative braking/traction opportunities and that racing is becoming less dependent on DRS activation points.
"So that's a positive that I've seen with this, that we're seeing not just zone overtakes. Indeed."
“Zone overtakes” refers to passing that happens primarily in the designated DRS activation areas. The speaker argues the new racing pattern includes more overtakes outside those zones, which can make the action feel more continuous and less scripted.
"because at this moment, they make these moves, but they know they're going to get re-passed, and it's great entertainment"
Re-passed means someone passes you, and then you get passed back soon after. They’re saying the racing might turn into quick back-and-forth moves instead of long battles.
“Re-passed” describes a situation where a driver is overtaken, but then immediately gets passed back shortly after. The speakers argue that if teams expect to regain position quickly, overtakes may become more about short-term tactics than sustained battles.
"The chassis and aero regs are actually quite good. Cars look more twitchy, like back in the good days, you can actually see the drivers fighting the car."
The chassis is the main structure of the race car. It influences how the car handles and how the driver feels the grip and balance.
In F1, the chassis is the car’s structural platform that affects stiffness, weight distribution, and how the suspension and aerodynamics work together. When the chassis rules change, the car’s balance and driver feel can change even if the engine is similar.
"Don't mention the power unit. Don't mention the battery. ... the power unit is clearly the main part of the whole Formula One."
In F1, the power unit is the car’s engine system, including the hybrid parts. The point here is that the rules changed the car’s behavior a lot even without changing the engine.
The power unit in F1 refers to the complete hybrid engine system (internal combustion engine plus energy recovery and control electronics). Even when the power unit is unchanged, changing aero and chassis rules can still transform the car’s look and driving feel.
"Whereas I think this is genuinely a really big positive that they've stripped back the aero and obviously got rid of ground effect."
Ground effect is how an F1 car uses the space near the ground to create downforce. If the rules remove it, the car usually feels less stuck to the track and the driver has to work more.
Ground effect is an aerodynamic concept where the car’s body and underfloor create low pressure near the track, generating strong downforce. When regulations “get rid of ground effect,” the cars typically produce less floor-generated downforce and can feel less glued to the road.
"I saw a clip of someone shared of Baku and they look absolutely awful. They're kind of, they're so, they look like boats and they look so sluggish..."
Baku refers to the Baku City Circuit in Azerbaijan, known for long straights and heavy braking zones where aerodynamic performance and stability are very noticeable. The speaker is using Baku as an example of how the cars can look and behave differently depending on the track’s characteristics.
"Now, the amount of times that we've seen someone get on the power and actually fight and save the car, we're yet to see what they do in the, in the wet conditions."
Wet conditions mean the track has less grip because it’s damp or raining. The cars behave differently, so it’s a good way to see whether the new rules still make racing exciting.
“Wet conditions” in F1 are a key test of the regulations because reduced tire grip changes how cars generate and maintain downforce. The speaker is saying they haven’t yet seen how the new cars’ handling and driver “fight” translates when the track is slippery.
"But it is something that we've said many times of less grip is actually quite a good, a good thing because you want to see the drivers fight."
They’re saying that if the car has a bit less grip, it becomes harder to drive well. That can make races more exciting because you see more real skill and recovery moments.
The speaker argues that “less grip” can improve the entertainment value because it forces drivers to work harder—managing traction, throttle, and steering inputs rather than simply driving on rails. This is tied to the idea that the regulations should allow more driver skill to show during wheel-to-wheel racing.
"...because you want to see the drivers fight. You want them to feel like the heroes that they are and show their supreme car control..."
“Car control” means how well a driver keeps the car stable when it’s not gripping perfectly. The speaker wants the new cars to let drivers correct mistakes instead of instantly spinning out.
“Car control” refers to a driver’s ability to manage traction limits—especially when the car is sliding or near the edge of grip. The speaker links it to the goal of regulations that make cars more recoverable when disturbed by turbulence or changing conditions.
"Again, saved by Ferrari, mainly. But also McLaren as well in that last race."
Ferrari is a famous racing team in Formula 1. When people mention Ferrari in an F1 conversation, they’re usually talking about how that team is doing and how the rules affect them.
Ferrari is one of Formula 1’s most iconic teams, known for its long history of racing success and passionate fanbase. In F1 discussions, Ferrari often comes up when talking about competitiveness, strategy, and how rule changes affect different teams.
"We want a race start where the leader doesn't make it into turn one first,"
Getting to the first corner first is a big advantage in racing. They’re saying fans want the race to be less about one car winning turn one automatically.
“Turn one first” refers to the advantage of getting to the first corner ahead of the pack, which often determines track position for much of the race. The speaker links the start format to whether the leader can realistically win the race’s opening phase.
"What am I doing? This is a positive thing that again, if I was to put myself in 2024 or 2023, Max Verstappen's winning everything."
Max Verstappen is one of the best-known F1 drivers. The speaker is saying that when he was winning everything, races might have felt less interesting because the outcome was too predictable.
Max Verstappen is a leading F1 driver whose dominance is used as a reference point for how exciting races were (or weren’t) in earlier seasons. The speaker contrasts that dominance with the expectation that 2025 should produce more varied, entertaining races.
"They weren't, I can't really put many bangers at all on the plate of 2025. Yes, race is on a longer procession."
“Bangers” here means really exciting races—ones with lots of action and drama. The speaker is basically asking whether 2025 has had enough of those.
“Bangers” is slang for exciting, high-quality races (or highlights) that deliver lots of action. The speaker is evaluating whether the season’s races have produced enough of these memorable moments.
"...going, I can't wait to get rid of these cars. The dirty air is atrocious. The two heavy is basically Formula One of is decided at the first corner..."
Dirty air is the messy air a car creates as it drives. If another car follows too closely, it can’t grip the road as well, so passing becomes tough.
“Dirty air” is the disturbed airflow a car leaves behind, which makes following cars lose aerodynamic grip. In F1, it directly affects cornering and braking performance for cars in traffic, making overtakes harder.
"...So you kind of need that like perfect middle ground, which to Formula One's kind of not credit, try to think of the right word, defense, that is incredibly hard to do to get absolutely perfect."
They’re trying to find the balance where cars can race close enough to pass, but the racing still feels real and competitive—not forced.
The speaker is describing the goal of regulation changes: enough aerodynamic stability to allow close racing, but not so much that overtakes become trivial. “Perfect middle ground” is essentially the balance between too little passing and too much artificiality.
"And we've had, you know, Australia and China were just ridiculous in a lot of ways."
Australia and China are F1 race venues used as examples of how the new rules played out on track. Fans often cite specific Grands Prix because track layout and overtaking opportunities can amplify or hide the effects of regulation changes.
"some people have gone for, let's go for really small turbos, we get great starts."
A turbo helps the engine make more power. Smaller and bigger turbo setups change how the car feels—like how quickly it responds versus how hard it pulls at higher speeds.
The segment contrasts “small turbos” versus “massive turbos” as an example of how teams explore different engine/boost strategies under the rules. Turbo sizing affects response (how quickly boost arrives) and how power is delivered across the rev range.
"but it also kills the slipstreams. Oh, yeah. I mean, look, the active Aero is a cool innovative thing."
Slipstream is the “draft” you get behind another car. It can make it easier to catch up and pass.
Slipstreams are the reduced-drag airflow effects behind a car, which can help the trailing car gain speed for overtakes. Aerodynamic devices that manage airflow can either strengthen or weaken these tow effects.
"if they bring it out for Monza, maybe this is the Monza spec wing, and they've been testing out this entire time for one race to make sure they win."
Monza is a famous F1 track. Because it’s different from other circuits, teams may change the car’s wing setup for that race.
Monza is referenced as a specific race where a “Monza spec wing” might be tested. Different circuits reward different aero setups, so teams often tailor wings and aerodynamic configurations to track characteristics.
"I don't think Miami will be, you know, this this crazy because again, like whatever tweaks they make, they're then going to have to test those tweaks."
Miami is one of the F1 races. The point here is that teams need time to try out any changes before that race.
Miami refers to the Miami Grand Prix, a major F1 race on the calendar. The host suggests it won’t be “crazy” because teams still need time to test any regulation tweaks before the next event.
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Hello, everybody, and welcome back to the P1 Podcast with Matt and Tommy.
It's time for positivity.
It's time to look at Formula One with some rose-tinted glasses.
Isn't that right, Tommy?
We're going to talk about the 2026 regulations and we're going to try and extract some positives
from this season.
Let's see how difficult that is.
Are we feeling positive today?
I am.
Normally, I'm the negative one, but actually, I think...
The realist.
The realist.
Sorry, the pessimistic realist.
Sorry, that was what it was, wasn't it?
And no, I actually think that there's a lot of negativity around the new rules,
but when you dive into the positives, it's not all doom and gloom.
Sometimes it's hard to look at the positives because you get so caught up in the negatives,
but actually, I think there's a decent amount to talk about, but of course,
we will do the negatives as well afterwards.
Yes, we're going to do two separate podcasts.
We'll start with the positives because the blueprints, there are things within the regulations
that I do genuinely think can be fixed and can be turned around to make some good racing.
So we've got one from me, one from Tommy, and then lots from you to discuss.
Now, before we get into what we like about the regulations,
I had one of the strangest emails I've ever seen come into the P1 inbox
from Ben Jackson, who I am not kidding, has created the P1 logo out of sheep.
Now, this is not AI.
This is not AI, as far as I am aware here.
No, he says a video of him doing it.
As much as, yeah, I saw the screenshot initially and I was like, come on, come on.
And then the drone footage came in, and this is from, he's in Australia as well,
and this is kind of like a little bit of a hype for the P1 Live shows in Australia.
And I just wanted to share it.
I think this is insane.
What is going on that we've had sheep turn into a P1 logo?
That is crazy.
I couldn't believe when we got this email.
You just messaged me on WhatsApp going, someone's made the P1 logo out of sheep.
I was like, what?
The first message I received this morning was that.
And yeah, shout out to his handle on Instagram, his electric postman, and he's arranged sheep.
And he's said, if there's any Australian agricultural enthusiasts out there who tune
into your show, they'll enjoy it.
Well, we enjoyed it anyway.
I think just general people, normal people would very much enjoy that.
I love it.
Ben, could you now do one that says, get your Australia P1 Live show tickets now?
I don't know how many sheep you'll need for that, but that'd be great for the second one.
Attics.tw slash P1 Live.
Exactly, the wow, shameless promotion.
HTTP.
No, no, no, shut it.
No, no, no, come on.
That's not ruin it.
But thank you so much, Ben, for submitting that.
It's absolutely ridiculous.
Right, let's get into our suggestions of things that we like about the 2026 regulations.
And I am going to begin and say that I like the concept of tactical battery deployment.
Now, I like something to do with the battery.
Yes.
And I know this is a big negative.
And there are things around it that are negative.
But we're going to go with positive today.
And the concept of it, the curse-like thing, if you've never seen curse, the kinetic energy
recovery system, I believe it was back in the day, sort of like 2011-ish kind of time, wasn't it?
Or maybe starting earlier than that.
I was at 09.
I don't know when it ended.
And then DRS came in.
Maybe it was 2011 when it ended.
Either or.
Yeah, that kind of late 2000s era was essentially the driver had a certain amount of battery to
deploy.
Was it seven seconds?
There's something around that mark.
And they could deploy it whether they wanted to attack or defend.
It's just a bit of a boost to help you with either.
Now, when we saw the regulations and this obviously the bigger reliance on the battery and
all of this boost mode, et cetera, et cetera, I thought, OK, it could well be very similar.
So the idea behind it, I like.
I like the fact that the drivers can have a say in when they deploy their energy.
Now, the problem lies with the fact of there is so much reliance of it that the idea gets
thrown in the bin at this point.
It's nowhere near where I think it should be.
And that's just purely because of the 50-50 split at the moment and what the current cars are.
So as much as I have sort of, I am going to also touch upon, I'm not going to go,
I love the battery because I don't.
But I like that the tactical side of it, I think, has a lot of potential.
It just needs to have less reliance on it.
I agree because I think push to pass in IndyCar works very well.
It's something that we've always said about DRS is that it was great and it was needed in Formula
1, particularly in the era of the dirty air cars.
But the problem was you were kind of defenseless.
So in theory, if they tweak it to get it, it's never going to be absolutely perfect.
There's so many different scenarios in Formula 1 and some cars are quicker, some cars are slower.
The race is always ever-changing.
It's a bit like DRS zones and how it was never the perfect solution every single week.
But you're right, the concept of it is really good.
And if they can fine-tune it where you can use it to defend as well as attack,
it's going to make for much better racing because you're not just completely defenseless
and people are just breezing past you and you've got nothing to kind of fight back with.
So I do agree of the concept of the tactical battery deployment.
And it kind of leads into my one a little bit, which I'll go into now, which is
seeing overtakes at different parts of the track.
Now that is something that I was really hoping would happen.
And I can't say that it hasn't because you look at what we've seen so far,
particularly in that first race.
And you know, George Russell and Charlotte Claire were passing.
Yes, they were passing and repassing each other constantly.
But I do think that it's going to be a case of you're seeing them
at different parts of the track overtaking.
And that is much better than waiting for that DRS zone all the time.
That was such a disappointing part of Formula 1 for me.
The moves that I always remember are those things like
where Alonzo overtook Hamilton at the hairpin in Bahrain because it was so unexpected
because we were so ingrained of just wait for the DRS zone.
And some DRS passes were great, but it would always be in that same zone.
And again, a lot of the heavy lifting this season has been thanks to Ferrari.
And those two battling, China is another great example.
They were passing and repassing each other in so many different parts of the track.
It wasn't just wait for the straight, go past.
You were seeing them go into different corners.
I mean, when have we ever seen an overtake into the final corner in China?
Normally they'd just wait for the next straight.
And we saw that a few times.
We're seeing overtakes everywhere.
So that's a positive that I've seen with this, that we're seeing not just zone overtakes.
Indeed.
Yeah, it's kind of loosely linked, as you say, with my point.
Because, yeah, drivers can decide to just absolutely just deplete the battery.
I think we saw it in Australia, right?
And this is purely down, I would say, to the drivers and teams not really knowing
what to do at this point.
Like, in Australia in particular, it was amazing to see Russell and the two Ferraris fighting.
Like, it was just like, what the hell are we watching?
This is not Formula One.
Formula One is three overtakes, and that's it across the entire field.
So to see just random overtakes in random places was pretty shocking, if anything else.
And then, I guess, I don't know if it's a problem or not,
but that the amount of time they lost depleting the battery in certain areas was,
you know, they were losing two and a half seconds of lap fighting,
and it wasn't even like they were going side by side every corner.
It was more the fact that they were running out of battery in the least optimal place possible.
My worry going forward, you say, you're saying about that.
My worry going forward is that, is this just a case of the teams don't know what they're
doing at the moment, and we saw maybe a little bit of this in Japan, where is it,
because I think, obviously, Max was very outspoken about it,
shock with his battle with Gasly, but also Lando with his battle with Hamilton,
where the six, seven races down the line, if nothing changes, people will literally go,
there is literally no point overtaking, because at this moment, they make these moves,
but they know they're going to get re-passed, and it's great entertainment,
and you're watching people re-pass each other, but you do wonder as the teams sort of learn and
understand whether they will get a bit boring with it, and just go, well, actually, there's no
point, because according to the data, and as you say, when you're battling, you lose so much time
that you're just bringing everyone else into play, that actually, I really hope that it doesn't go
down that line of, well, the computer says that the optimal thing is to actually just wait behind
another car a bit like we saw in previous years, gone by of just wait for the pit stops, because
then you can get the offset of tyres or do an undercut. Well, yeah, I mean, it has the
potential to be the don't, let's not bother fighting times a hundred, because of the amount
of time that you lose, but the thing is, should they tweak, don't worry, I'm getting there,
it can't all be roses in this one, all right, we're in dire state right now, but in terms of,
if they were to take out some of the reliance of the battery, then I think there are opportunities
for drivers to just go for it in a random place, and then there's not as much battery for the other
driver to try and get them back. I don't know, I'm obviously speaking in a dreamland right now,
and we don't exactly know how it would play out, but less reliance on the battery means that maybe
there would be opportunity to just go for it and then be like, maybe I'll be able to hold on.
So, yeah, let's see how it goes, but I don't think there, with no tweaks, I think very quickly
there's no point overtaking, we saw it with Max, we saw it with Max, and yeah, he tried it,
he got through, and then was passed immediately afterwards, and then thought, well, I'll just
sit behind him now. And just try on the last lap, because it's the only way, because then you pass
the line. And then we get to last lap overtakes, and I think that's a very dangerous place to be,
but positives is that they're looking at it, they're going to make some changes, hopefully,
God imagine they've had all these meetings that we don't really know much about at the moment,
and then they change nothing going into Miami, that would be quite bad. I would imagine they're
going to make some changes, but it depends how much, how broad, how broadly they can change
things, you know, they have these cars now, like how much of a change can they make without making
them 10 seconds slower, which I imagine they don't want to do. And Formula One will look at this
on a very surface level and go, well, actually, a bit like that whole graphic that riled everyone up
of, well, actually, we're getting loads of overtakes. And social media will always complain
about everything anyway, which I don't think is the right way approach to do it, because
it's quite clear that a lot of fans are unhappy. And you need to listen to fans and drivers that
to make tweaks. But you do wonder how much they're going to, they're going to watch this,
this one, if I'm going to watch the one that says, yeah, if I'm fans, it's going to be like a TV
direction all over again. P1, P1 is saying it's they're amazing. That's why I'm putting a sprinkle
of negativity into the positive. Next one is from a fan. And this one is from Camacho 2505.
The chassis and aero regs are actually quite good. Cars look more twitchy, like back in the
good days, you can actually see the drivers fighting the car. This one 100% agree. Don't
make it negative. Don't make it negative. No, that's a good thing. So again, the blueprints.
Not saying that. The blueprints are there for this. You do see the drivers fighting the car
and can actually save the car. That is a really good positive.
If... Don't mention the power unit. Don't mention the battery. Don't mention the...
If super clipping becomes less of a thing, then this would be great. If we actually have the
drivers like full push for 90% of the lap. That's all I want. 90% of the lap. They can have a little
super clip if they want, but not too much. Give yourself a little super clip. And then they will...
Yeah, just a little one. But they're pushing the car. Then this would be awesome because that's
what we've been calling for for ages, is that the cars in recent years have become boats and they
were just planted to the floor and you'd see barely any, especially from the top cars, barely any
struggle from the driver in terms of managing the beast. Whereas I think this is genuinely a
really big positive that they've stripped back the aero and obviously got rid of ground effect.
We just need to push more forward with that. And we need to get back to the drivers pushing fully.
I know that we won't see that in races. We won't because tyres will always be a thing.
Either try the history of Formula One. But on Saturdays we did. And now that's been taken away
from us. But no, positive! The chassis is actually quite good. I think it's very good. The chassis
and the aero regs are great. I think the cars look absolutely fantastic. This is the thing,
I'm not going to say that, but if you replace the power unit, and this is the thing, the power
unit is clearly the main part of the whole Formula One. But they could have easily done all this and
kept the same kind of aero regs and chassis and they haven't. And that's a good thing. Because
I think the aero and the whole kind of look of the cars is so, so, so much better. As you said
about how they look planted, I remember seeing, you know, you've seen so many clips and you can look
at the last year's cars around really high speed sections and think they look incredible as they're
flying through corners and that's absolutely true. But there are certain other tracks as well. I saw
a clip of someone shared of Baku and they look absolutely awful. They're kind of, they're so,
they look like boats and they look so sluggish and there's no, there's no like fighting the car. They
look kind of enormous and heavy like you're driving a massive like tank around the corners.
And now you are seeing the fact that they do look much more nimble. Of course, we're not seeing that
as much in things like qualifying and stuff at all because of the super clipping. But if they
sort that side out, I think this chassis and aero reg is actually really, really good because
they look great on track and they're much better to watch from that side of things when they're,
when they're kind of passing each other in things because they just look a lot nicer and it feels
more like they are fighting the car and how many times in the old era did we see where they just
talked constantly about, as soon as you lose a tiny piece of the floor, it's game over or a tiny bit
of aero wash and the whole car's completely useless and you can't do anything and you're
sliding off and you can't save it. Now, the amount of times that we've seen someone get on the power
and actually fight and save the car, we're yet to see what they do in the, in the wet conditions.
But it is something that we've said many times of less grip is actually quite a good, a good thing
because you want to see the drivers fight. You want them to feel like the heroes that they are
and show their supreme car control and show that they are the best 22 drivers in the world.
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Again, saved by Ferrari, mainly. But also McLaren as well in that last race.
I do really like the fact that the starts, there's so much anticipation. Don't say
that. Don't say that. Don't say that. I'm going to say that.
We need a forfeit every time we say that. Yeah, I know. It's almost…
There's kind of a weird balance of the reason the starts are exciting is because it's kind of
farcical. And the fact that some people are really unable to start the cars properly and the power
units are far too complex. And some people are so slow off the line. And loads of people are
stalling and having problems getting away. And we've had to change the whole start sequence
just to get them off the line, which I don't think should happen.
But I don't either. I don't think we should have any pre-10-second race start.
Because Ferrari would literally not have to turn off the car.
But then the argument is Ferrari have built a great car based on the regulations to be able
to do it. So I think in that sense, it is exciting that you get a big mix up of the grid. And it's
fall back later in the race. And then because that's how they've kind of designed their turbo.
And that stuff does make it actually quite exciting with the fact that people have done
different ideas. And certain teams can absolutely nail starts, but then aren't as quick in the
race. And that makes it exciting because then it's not just a procession.
So you know what these regulations have done? They have given us a little insight as to what
a cheeky little reverse grid top eight looks like. Because qualifying means nothing,
basically, because Mercedes get pole and then lose it because of Ferrari and McLaren.
And yeah, it does make, of course, the race starts more exciting, but also the races themselves,
because it puts the non-fastest car at the front, which is what we always wanted.
But then, oh, God, I said, but I did it. I did it again. That's not what Formula One really is,
though, is it? You know, we shouldn't be qualifying on a Saturday to put the fastest car on the
grid only because the complexity of the engine is something that I don't know. There's parts of
me that goes, again, positive that Ferrari, McLaren, they've done a really good job in
understanding these very complex, difficult machines and engine power unit. And Mercedes
haven't got a hold of that just yet. So I guess, yeah, the positive, because I'm just thinking,
like, what if I'm sat here being told in the future, like back in 2025, like, so 2026,
you're going to have hundreds of overtakes. You're going to have Ferrari taking the lead
in two of the three races. I'd be like, where do I sign? Because on paper, it sounds great.
But I guess a lot of us Formula One fans want it to feel valuable, right? We want an overtake to
feel valuable. We want a race start where the leader doesn't make it into turn one first,
valuable, not an expected thing. So that's where I think a lot of us sit in a very weird,
strange place where we're going, this is all we've ever dreamed of, but it doesn't feel right.
No, it's too much. And yeah, it's kind of wrong. And I do sympathize with F1 a little bit where
the window of amazing F1 is actually quite small, you know, in a football match,
whenever you get five goals, you're like, ah, it's a banger. We saw loads of goals.
But like, it is like in football of going, oh, there's too many nil nils and there's not enough
goals. So let's get rid of the goalkeepers. Yeah. And now every game is like eight all.
And then you go, oh, that should be good because every game is a all and like
10, seven and stuff. But then, but it doesn't, yeah, but it doesn't feel like football. So
you say it kind of loses. Great analogy that was. I don't even watch football and I just brought
it up. Why don't I not like say tennis or golf? Like I actually do those things. Anyway, so yeah,
that's my kind of thinking on the race starts is yeah, it's, it is more exciting. There are
positives. But again, I don't know, there's part of me that goes, and I guess it kind of again,
Saturday was such a heralded, you know, holy thing for all of us, right? Saturdays was the
special thing. And then it almost feels the worth of it has gone down even more with the
fact that there are these farcical starts to some degree. But then again, it stops Mercedes
leading from lights to flag. So let's not change it and Ferrari are strong. So there you go.
Next, next one comes in from grumpy car nut. Races are no longer a procession.
That is true. Mercedes take 20 laps to get through and then they win. So
no, I did a sarcastic negative then. What am I doing? This is a positive thing
that again, if I was to put myself in 2024 or 2023, Max Verstappen's winning everything.
Even last year when we're talking about how the cars just not happened, they were
quality of races last year were not great, were they? They weren't, I can't really put many bangers
at all on the plate of 2025. Yes, race is on a longer procession. That is true. And that is
something that I want to continue because again, you know, I'm talking about what would I say in
the past? What do I say in the future? If all the teams now figure out what they're doing,
we get 2025 kind of races, but with the 2026 regs. I mean, Japan, yeah, we had a bit of a mix
up at the start, but Japan wasn't a great race. And that's, and I do feel like more of those
kind of races are going to come along should there not be any tweaks that hopefully Formula
One, the FIA are going to make. But it is definitely a positive that the Sunday races,
two of the three of them, I would say, have been very exciting, albeit we've been questioning
why we whether we should be liking them. Yeah, I completely, completely agree with that because
if you just said last last year, we were sat here at the end of the season going,
I can't wait to get rid of these cars. The dirty air is atrocious. The two heavy is basically
Formula One of is decided at the first corner, and nothing else happens the whole race. You
can't overtake how many races we had is going back to the previous question of you said,
where there is such a narrow window in Formula One. And we've had kind of one end of the scale
was the Japanese Grand Prix last year, where Max put it on pole, he led into turn one,
he was in a much slower car compared to the McLarens, the McLarens were much quicker,
but you could not pass because the cars are too wide, there was so much aero wash,
and you just couldn't get past the dirty air was far too much. And you saw Max and the two
McLarens the whole race just like like almost like Monaco vibes. And you saw that so many tracks
this year, even ones you feel like you could overtake at. And then yet you go to a case like
this year's race at Japan, and it's completely different, they're passing each other left,
left right and center. But we're kind of going, oh, but they're just flying past with the battery
and then overtaking. So you kind of need that like perfect middle ground, which to Formula One's kind
of not credit, try to think of the right word, defense, that is incredibly hard to do to get
absolutely perfect. And there's going to be no like one perfect thing for everyone.
But it is so hard because you've almost gone like the extreme, completely extreme the other way.
And now there's so much action and entertainment. But as we were saying, it kind of feels artificial.
And there's so much reliance on the whole power unit and battery that you're kind of getting
motorway overtakes. And even though it's cool that you're saying them at different parts of the
track, they're, you know, they're just flying past each other and people have nothing like
they can't do anything about it. So you've got almost like the complete opposite end. Yes,
this is definitely a positive. And what is kind of what you would rather take because I'm sat here
and I'm, I am the new regulations. There are a lot of negatives and it's
it is painful to watch sometimes and it feels like the sport is being sanitized and I look at it.
Have we moved on to the things we hate about the new regulations?
Sorry, no, no, no. Sorry, I thought we'd transition to the next podcast. That was a lot of negatives.
I will move on to positives. But yeah, you look at it and go, oh, this, for all our complaints,
is it better than last year? I don't know. It might be because last year was so
poor. The racing was bad. Yes, I don't get me wrong. Loved qualifying, loved the championship
battle and that drama provided. But the racing was pretty abysmal last year. We
you were right in saying, I can't remember a year gone by where you almost didn't get a single
banging race. And it feels like that was kind of the thing last year that you just didn't see any
crazy, exciting races. Yeah. And we've had, you know, Australia and China were just
ridiculous in a lot of ways. So 105 over tanks, as the graphics said.
Yeah, ridiculous in positive and negative. That's what I'll say. Right, for that one.
And then another suggestion comes in in P1Patreon, remember,
coal. Active Aero looks cool. I love the way that they said that. It almost feels like they're
shrugging when they say it. Like, I don't know, the active Aero looks pretty cool, right? You know,
I guess. Yeah, it does. It does look cool. The cars look better. I don't say that. Don't say that.
But it does look cool. The problem with the active Aero, again, is the fact that
they're not controlling it. And that is something we'll get into in the next podcast. But
it does look kind of cool watching it. Obviously, Ferrari's innovation that they've not actually
used the Macarena wing is quite fun. So you kind of got that preseason of seeing how and I guess
you get that in all regulations of people trying different things and seeing how much they can
bend the rules. And some people like that side of a Formula One and really value it that every
car is different. Every car, you know, it's a bit like going back to how we talk about the race
starts that some people have gone for, let's go for really small turbos, we get great starts. Some
people have gone for, you know, massive turbos, and it makes them better in the race and things
like that. So there's so many different kind of innovations. That was something that people
didn't like about last year that it was almost people were saying like, oh, is it becoming
almost like a spec series? Because it was almost like this is the car it's meant to look like,
they all kind of look the same. Whereas you can kind of say that, you know, they are
being a bit different this year. And the active Aero is a kind of cool thing to watch. But I
can't sit here and think it's the best thing ever. I'd be lying.
Tommy, you ruined it. You could have just said it looks cool. It does look cool,
but it also kills the slipstreams. Oh, yeah. I mean, look, the active Aero is a cool
innovative thing. And I like the fact that there are differences between teams,
that it has to exist. If it didn't, we would be going a lot slower because of the battery.
Without mega clipping. Yeah. Oh, mega super duper clipping. Super duper.
Yeah, this is kind of a small thing, right? Like I don't really care what they look like as long
as we get good racing. And it's real racing. So I am intrigued to see if we do see the Macarena
wing for Ferrari. Again, Ferrari carrying the season once again, shock. You know, if they bring
it out for Monza, maybe this is the Monza spec wing, and they've been testing out this entire
time for one race to make sure they win. We'll see. But yeah, it's a cool thing,
but it's not not game changing for me personally. And that is it. We've done it. We've done the
likes, Tommy. Next next time will be will be fully unleashed for basically what myself,
Tommy and all of you lot don't like about regulations. We might even say hate because
some things I do hate about these regulations. And we will get into it. But this has been a
lovely, positive, wonderful, fantastic podcast ish. Maybe we'll have a butt counter because
get your mind up the gutter. What are your final thoughts?
My final thoughts are for all the kind of for all the butts that we've been saying.
We're looking at looking at this and talking about the positives. The good thing is that
I do think it's salvageable. It's not like this whole thing is absolutely ruined. And it's quite
clear. And this this will kind of roll into when we do the negative ones, because I think a lot
of the talk is going to be about that power unit and the problems that I love it. But it
shows that there are you look on social media and the talk and you just think everything's awful
about the regs. But when you actually deep dive into it, like we've done here, there are many
positives to take away. And it kind of gives me hope that you can see the fact that they can
make tweaks hopefully here and there, a big tweak in the whole power unit.
But there are there are things there in place, you know, like we like the fact that
we're getting more overtakes, the aero regs, the cars look cool, we're seeing overtakes,
things like that is a good thing. So there are definitely positives there. And I think
it's a nice reminder that they do exist. Indeed, indeed. Yeah, I think F1 is salvageable.
This this season, we can save it together as the Formula One community. Maybe not,
I don't think they're listening to us. But I've got to send another but add another one to the
counter. Yeah, we'll see. I think it'll take time. I think it will take time. I don't think
Miami will be, you know, this this crazy because again, like whatever tweaks they make, they're
then going to have to test those tweaks. This is this is like a season of testing. So make that
what you will. We'll be here no matter what we will share our opinions, no matter what
whether they're positive or negative, as you can clearly tell. And that is it. We'll see you very
soon. Lots of love. Take care. Sweet dreams. Next up, what we hate about them. Bye. Goodbye.
But
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In
immersing yourself in all things soccer ahead of this summer's World Cup, I'm Alex Abnos,
senior sports editor from The Guardian. Whether you're a soccer beginner or you know the game
inside and out, we've got you covered. From one of the fastest growing soccer newsrooms,
The Guardian brings you in depth World Cup coverage that gets into the winners and losers
on and off the pitch. Read, watch and listen as our journalists connect the dots between the
games, the cultures and this political moment. We'll have daily newsletters throughout the
tournament, a global perspective and a squad of Americans, including me on the ground with
the US national team. Plus, if you want to test your soccer knowledge, try on the ball. It's a
game in The Guardian app and it's really, really fun. And if you're into stuff like this, well,
I think the problem is if you give footballers an inch, they will take a mile. Is it too much
when it's this close? It's a bit much. It's a bit too real. Maybe you could just talk with a slight
delay. Be sure to listen to our football weekly podcast for on the move expert analysis. The
Guardian bringing you the whole picture on soccer. Search Guardian Soccer for more
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