Lance Stroll truth bombs “fake” Formula 1 cars that are less fun to drive than Formula 3 cars

Formula 1 returns after a five week break following the cancellation of April races in the Middle East due to the Iran war, with renewed focus on the 2026 power unit regulations and recent tweaks aimed at addressing safety and racing concerns.

Stroll, yet to score a point this season with Aston Martin amid early struggles in the new engine era, said the changes had not improved the on track product.

“I drove other cars over the break, I tested some F3 cars, and it is like 1,000 times more fun and better to drive because you have your right foot, you give what you want, and you get what you want,” Stroll said.

The Canadian dismissed the latest regulatory adjustments as insufficient: “F1 is a business, and they want to protect their business and make it look good, and we’re drivers, and we know what it feels like to drive good cars,” he said.

The 2026 power units, split roughly 50 50 between electric and combustion power, have forced drivers into heavy energy management, including lifting early and coasting into high speed corners to recharge batteries.

Stroll said that had stripped away the character of the cars: "Everyone hears the sound of the V8, V10 era and is going like: ‘Wow, that is amazing, that is F1 when you hear it’ and now, de rating into a corner, I’m downshifting going into a corner with no character or no noise. It is fake."

He went on to describe the recent rule tweaks as a “Band Aid solution” that failed to address the core problem.

During the break, Stroll said he had revisited historic races and was struck by how much more engaging the cars once were: “I watched old races and the Monaco Historic and the cars looked nimble, they sounded good, they looked alive."

Stroll acknowledged that a newer audience, drawn in by Netflix and Formula 1’s global growth under Stefano Domenicali, would continue watching regardless of technical concerns.

However, he warned: “The drivers, the fans, the people that really know about racing, who know what it was like before, and the drivers who know what it is really like to drive really good, proper cars, there is no hiding behind the fact that right now it is not as good as it can be,” he said.

Domenicali has defended the current direction of the sport and recently urged drivers to remain constructive and respectful in their criticism as Formula 1 works through the early phase of its new regulatory era.

It is refreshing to hear Stroll junior provide his opinion without retsraints that most drivers on the grid have. While the Canadian is oft criticised for his attitude or lack thereof, this weekend he has stood up and reiterated what Formula 1 fans are saying in forums and social media, as well as pundits such as our site reporting on the harsh realities of a crisis in our sport.

No matter what in denial F1 chief Stefano Domenicali tells us, fact is you can fool some of the people some of the time, but you can't fool all the people all of the time. Bravo Lance!