Vettel: The new regulations don't entirely convince me.

      Sebastian Vettel views the new Formula 1 technical regulations, which come into force in 2026, with a certain skepticism. Some drivers who tried virtual versions of the future cars in a simulator were clearly not enthusiastic, and now the four-time world champion has shared his thoughts — he fears that such radical reforms in the championship will make the racing less interesting.

      In an interview with the German publication Auto Motor und Sport, Vettel compared the upcoming changes to the situation in 2014, when Formula 1 switched to hybrid power units. He believes the decision to go hybrid was right in itself, but its implementation left much to be desired.

      “Too much money was spent on it, and the championship didn’t benefit from it,” Sebastian says, arguing that it led to a long period of Mercedes dominance. “However, now the innovative solutions implemented in the engines under the previous regulations are being abandoned in order to make the power units less expensive.

      This was done to attract new manufacturers. Overall, the electric component is not a bad thing, and such technologies are in demand in production car manufacturing… But so far the new regulations do not fully convince me. Energy recovery is a great idea, but why is this system linked only to the rear axle of the car? I don’t understand why the front axle is not engaged, and I don’t see the point of such a decision.

      Climate-neutral fuel is also good, because there is demand for it beyond motorsport, not only in the automotive sphere but also in shipbuilding and aviation. However, one must be careful when choosing the raw material sources for this kind of fuel. If Formula 1 applies its usual approaches, a race of upgrades will begin, and the situation can quickly go in the wrong direction, as it did in 2014.

      The cars will become lighter, but only slightly — that’s just a drop in the ocean. They will remain too heavy. And the most important question always remains: what do we want to achieve? By what means? At the expense of what resources?

      Modern engines are too expensive. The technologies implemented in them have found no application in road cars because they are too complex and too expensive. At best the ‘Hybrid’ badge appeared on road cars. And now Formula 1 is moving away from the idea of transferring such technologies to the auto industry, betting on entertainment.

      But we must develop what we have already mastered, and this needs to be done more correctly with environmental issues in mind… Change itself is absolutely fine. But it would be a pity if the motorsport as we know it stopped existing.

      From a sporting point of view we should strive for competition to be as sharp as possible, but at the same time the spirit of Formula 1 must be preserved…”