Formula 1 drivers remain divided over the merits of racing under its new rules after the first two rounds of the championship.
While drivers have swapped places more readily over the three races so far than in many events last year, many changes of position have come about due to differences in how cars harvest energy, or whether drivers have been able to activate their ‘Overtake Mode’. Some have disparagingly termed this ‘yo-yo racing’ and likened it to ‘Mario Kart’.
Lewis Hamilton, who previously voiced concerns that F1’s new power units would lead to unusual racing which fans wouldn’t understand, has emerged as one of the strongest defenders of F1 in 2026.
“It happens in kart racing all the time, back and forth, back and forth,” said Hamilton. “No one ever calls it ‘yo-yo racing’. It’s real racing.”
“So whoever’s coming up with that is…” he added, leaving his thought unfinished.
Broadly, the more competitive a driver’s car is, the more likely they appear to support the new regulations. Hamilton scored his best result for 16 months in China and championship leader George Russell has also claimed modern F1 is more like kart racing, despite the obvious differences between the two.
Those not in contention for wins have tended to be more critical, notably Max Verstappen, Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz Jnr. Lando Norris said the ease with which a well-crafted overtaking move can be undone by a difference in energy levels made the racing “silly.”
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“As drivers we still just want the best cars to drive and cars that you feel like you’re on the limit, you can go flat-out, you can plan an overtake and you can then defend,” he said. “In a lot of cases now you do an overtake, you can’t even defend because the guy comes past you at 60kph more.
“Those kinds of silly things, where you feel like you’ve achieved something, you brake later, you’ve overtaken them and then you’re just at the mercy of whatever battery you got, those are the situations I think that are just annoying and tricky to deal with when you’re inside the car.”
Oliver Bearman also pointed out the new rules make defending a position impossible at times.
“The races look fantastic, but it’s tough sometimes,” he said. “I had a bit of experience racing with Franco [Colapinto] in China and you spend a lap thinking about where to plan the move, then you finally go for it and then he just flies past you on the next straight because he’s got so much more battery.
“So it’s really frustrating if you can’t get it right. It’s not what we’ve been used to throughout our careers. Normally when you get a better exit you get a better run all the way down the straight, but that’s not necessarily the case anymore, which is weird.”
F1 has made other changes to the cars this year to help drivers overtake, including reducing their width and weight. Bearman said some of the gains have been positive.
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“It’s tough because, for F1 and the FIA, it’s not as easy as it looks for them. Because we go from having these amazing cars to drive – qualifying was one of the biggest spectacles – but it was also quite tough to follow and tough to stay close. So we complain a little bit about not being able to overtake.
“Then we get to this new car where the overtakes have tripled and now we complain that there are too many overtakes. There’s an element of drivers always finding something to complain about.”
However he admitted the ease with which drivers can change places now feels like “overkill”.
“As Lando said, if you really give everything, you brake later or you do a great defensive move, it’s not necessarily going to be the case that you hold on to the position because if there’s a long straight afterwards you’re in trouble,” said Bearman.
“It’s tough because you have a lot of speed on the exit, but at the end of the straight a small difference in power can result in a big overspeed. So those big over-speeds are tough to really do anything against when the guy is coming past you at such a speed that you can’t hold on to the position.”
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2026 Japanese Grand Prix
- I don’t think it’s right everybody is trying to slow us down – Russell
- F1’s ‘yo-yo racing’ is ‘real racing’ for Hamilton, others call easy passes ‘silly’
- Ferrari can only “annoy” Mercedes, not threaten them for wins says Leclerc
- ‘They’re making us even slower’: FIA cuts F1 qualifying energy limit at Suzuka
- Will F1’s new rules ruin one of its greatest tracks? Six Japanese GP talking points
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