Outside Line: Chill People! Why so much negativety about the new Formula 1 era?

The new power units have been a major talking point for years, intensifying over the past three days, with prophets of doom predicting unthinkable scenarios when they are lit up in anger at the season opening Australian Grand Prix next month. Not long to go now.

When Max Verstappen calls the cars “Formula E on steroids” and “anti racing”, that is a red flag for me. I immensely respect him, irrespective of his critics. I am in awe of how he has grown into the role of world champion and how he says exactly what he feels, regardless of whatever narrative Liberty Media is trying to sell.

With that in mind, it is hard to ignore the concern. It is not only Max saying it. Many people I respect within our own community are perplexed about this new formula. And let us face it: lift and coast, spooling, harvesting. Are we farming or are we racing?

But here is the counterpoint to consider. Formula 1 has always resisted change. Every generation has tended to think the new rules are the worst rules ever. So let us focus on something simple. No matter how good or bad these cars are, everyone is in the same boat.

All 22 drivers must 'row' or 'sink' with the new systems, the lifting, the coasting, the harvesting and whatever else this era demands. No one is getting a better rulebook.

Some of the most beautiful racing machines in my mind came from the 70s, 80s and 90s. I have not seen a truly beautiful car in the last 20 years. They all look similar to me. Maybe I am getting old. But if they were all white, could I tell the difference? Not really.

They are long and cumbersome. A long time ago, the cars themselves stopped being the thing that excited me. When these hybrid power units arrived, that became an art I neither understood nor particularly cared about.

I am simple when it comes to engineers. Build the fastest car you can within the rules. If it wins and becomes champion, you did your job.

For me, Formula 1 drivers are the artists. They paint the history of this sport. Sometimes they are given great tools. Sometimes poor ones. But they still have to create. Cavemen drew with rocks. Art evolved. The paint was perhaps not always good. The brushes were not always perfect. Artists moaned I am sure, but still delivered.

Our 22 drivers will line up with tools they may not love. And this is where Max reenters the discussion. Despite his concerns, I would bet good money he will still be the benchmark of this era, with the usual suspects chasing. The cream always rises. I will go further. The drivers who do not belong on the grid will be exposed more than ever.

Barring catastrophe, mass breakdowns or procedural chaos, we still have 11 elite teams with a blank canvas in front of them. So enough moaning. Own the cars. Put the laps in. Put the times down. Go to Melbourne. Go racing.

If you have followed Formula 1 since the 60s or 70s, you know every major regulation change triggered outrage. I was 8 or 9 at the time, so much of what I know came from my grandfather, but when wings were introduced in the late 60s, the backlash was enormous. Purists went ballistic. And yes, early wings failed and caused fatal accidents. Yet wings became standard.

Then came the six wheel Tyrrell. People said if that concept spread, Formula 1 was doomed. Credit to the sport for allowing it. They tried it. It nearly worked. It even won the 1976 Swedish Grand Prix with Jody Scheckter in the Tyrrell P34. Formula 1 survived.

Ground effect and skirts caused similar hysteria. Then the turbo era arrived. Renault were mocked as fragile and unreliable. Their engines exploded regularly. But once they perfected it, we witnessed some of the most powerful engines in the history of the sport.

Before that breakthrough, the narrative was familiar. Bad rules. Too expensive. Too complex. It will kill Formula 1. It never did. In fact, the turbo era remains one of the greatest, even after the near split between the Bernie Ecclestone and Max Mosley FOCA brigade and the FISA manufacturer teams led by Jean-Marie Balestre.

Fast forward to today and it is the same pattern. New rules. Outrage. Governing bodies criticised. Old men accused of being out of touch. Formula 1, a sport packed with egos, is no exception. The teams were consulted. This package is on them as well, not only FOM and FIA.

On Thursday, I spent the day with the Bahrain test live on my iPad. It felt amazing. I love testing. The F1TV team provide superb insight. Jolyon Palmer, Anthony Davidson and the crew put us right there in real time. You watch the short runs, the long runs, the games and the problem-solving. Testing is beautiful.

However, scroll YouTube or social media and few predict a glorious 2026 Formula 1 season. That is their prerogative.

To counter that, I quote Sam Collins from Bahrain Test Day 2 on F1 TV, who summed up my sentiments better than I could when discussing the challenges of the new cars: “Shortening the wheelbase on the car is naturally going to be a bit more twitchy with a shorter wheelbase. But they are also lighter. You have something that weighs less, still has 1000 horsepower under the driver’s right foot, and now they have to transmit that power in a different way.

“Those electric motors are dumping a huge amount of torque into the rear wheels, and the driver has to learn how to cope with that. So yes, it is great to see they are a bit more tail happy. A bit more twitchy. The word used in the original press releases a couple of years ago was nimble, and they really are more nimble and more agile. 

Ben continued: “It also means these cars are more difficult to drive. I like that. I like things being made a little more challenging for racing drivers who perhaps have had it slightly easier in recent years. Now they are earning their paychecks again. But so are the engineers. They are really having to work with this ruleset.

“When it was first announced, I thought it looked too restrictive. The cars seemed as if you just had to build what was shown in the model, and that was it. I was completely wrong. These cars have so many visible differences, and it looks like there is genuine technical freedom within the regulations. There are multiple solutions available.

“Actually, this may be the most fascinating era of Formula 1 I have seen since the 1990s, if not ever. Changing the power unit in such a fundamental way is massive." Amen!

I am with Ben. I am taking the outside line on this one. I will wait. I will give it time. I will see what the best drivers in the world, led by Max Verstappen, can do with what they are given. Then I will judge Formula 1's new era.

With total respect, until then shut up and drive, Boys!