Hamilton is the least reliable person on entire grid you wanna listen to when it comes to those things. There is no doubts he would’ve been praising hard the ground effect regs if he was still at or near the top driving next to Bottas. The moment his Ferrari gets back to where it belongs - around 4th fastest car on the grid and the entire field gets naturally closer together, which makes him regularly struggling to get into Q3 he will start bashing these regs like nobody before. Only question when will this happen, not if.DDopey wrote: ↑29 Mar 2026, 16:16I understand some of the people who like the overtaking, short instant dopamine shots are quite popular these days. But this is Lando talking:
"honestly some of the racing, i didn't even want to overtake lewis. it’s just that my battery deploys, i don't want it to deploy, but i can't control it.
so, i overtake him, and then i have no battery left, so he just flies past. this is not racing, this is yo-yoing. even though he [hamilton] says it's not, it is yo-yoing."
This is not driver controlled racing, it was already limited in F1, but this is ridiculous.
FittingMechanics, This is not racing. It's something else entirely. It may be amusing for some, but we have to respect the drivers,their livelihood, and real motorsport. Don't let them sell out this beautiful sport to Nintendo racing.DDopey wrote: ↑29 Mar 2026, 16:16I understand some of the people who like the overtaking, short instant dopamine shots are quite popular these days. But this is Lando talking:
"honestly some of the racing, i didn't even want to overtake lewis. it’s just that my battery deploys, i don't want it to deploy, but i can't control it.
so, i overtake him, and then i have no battery left, so he just flies past. this is not racing, this is yo-yoing. even though he [hamilton] says it's not, it is yo-yoing."
This is not driver controlled racing, it was already limited in F1, but this is ridiculous.
A tiny remark, this is not motorracing. Batteries racing, E-formula, new age racing whatever, but surely not motorracing.AR3-GP wrote: ↑29 Mar 2026, 16:25FittingMechanics, This is not racing. It's something else entirely. It may be amusing for some, but we have to respect the drivers,their livelihood, and real motorsport. Don't let them sell out this beautiful sport to Nintendo racing.DDopey wrote: ↑29 Mar 2026, 16:16I understand some of the people who like the overtaking, short instant dopamine shots are quite popular these days. But this is Lando talking:
"honestly some of the racing, i didn't even want to overtake lewis. it’s just that my battery deploys, i don't want it to deploy, but i can't control it.
so, i overtake him, and then i have no battery left, so he just flies past. this is not racing, this is yo-yoing. even though he [hamilton] says it's not, it is yo-yoing."
This is not driver controlled racing, it was already limited in F1, but this is ridiculous.
If anyone wants to see Mario Kart, buy a Nintendo gaming console. It has no place in the pinnacle of motorsport.
By that exact logic, we should dismiss Verstappen's complaints because he's struggling for q3 at the moment...avantman wrote: ↑29 Mar 2026, 16:21Hamilton is the least reliable person on entire grid you wanna listen to when it comes to those things. There is no doubts he would’ve been praising hard the ground effect regs if he was still at or near the top driving next to Bottas. The moment his Ferrari gets back to where it belongs - around 4th fastest car on the grid and the entire field gets naturally closer together, which makes him regularly struggling to get into Q3 he will start bashing these regs like nobody before. Only question when will this happen, not if.DDopey wrote: ↑29 Mar 2026, 16:16I understand some of the people who like the overtaking, short instant dopamine shots are quite popular these days. But this is Lando talking:
"honestly some of the racing, i didn't even want to overtake lewis. it’s just that my battery deploys, i don't want it to deploy, but i can't control it.
so, i overtake him, and then i have no battery left, so he just flies past. this is not racing, this is yo-yoing. even though he [hamilton] says it's not, it is yo-yoing."
This is not driver controlled racing, it was already limited in F1, but this is ridiculous.
To show that crazy closing speeds aren't a sudden new thingavantman wrote: ↑29 Mar 2026, 15:53Why did you mention it then if the reasoning was completely different, than one being discussed? It was drivers mistake misjudgment, when a driver behind brakes too late or misses the braking point, Kovalainen car was perfectly fine. There have been plenty of such accidents, that’s not what i asked for.DJ Downforce wrote: ↑29 Mar 2026, 15:31Webber and Kovalainen in Valencia 2010 was pretty dangerous, and that was due to a crazy quick closing speed.
Yes, you specifically should dismiss Verstappen s comments.DJ Downforce wrote: ↑29 Mar 2026, 16:31By that exact logic, we should dismiss Verstappen's complaints because he's struggling for q3 at the moment...avantman wrote: ↑29 Mar 2026, 16:21Hamilton is the least reliable person on entire grid you wanna listen to when it comes to those things. There is no doubts he would’ve been praising hard the ground effect regs if he was still at or near the top driving next to Bottas. The moment his Ferrari gets back to where it belongs - around 4th fastest car on the grid and the entire field gets naturally closer together, which makes him regularly struggling to get into Q3 he will start bashing these regs like nobody before. Only question when will this happen, not if.DDopey wrote: ↑29 Mar 2026, 16:16I understand some of the people who like the overtaking, short instant dopamine shots are quite popular these days. But this is Lando talking:
"honestly some of the racing, i didn't even want to overtake lewis. it’s just that my battery deploys, i don't want it to deploy, but i can't control it.
so, i overtake him, and then i have no battery left, so he just flies past. this is not racing, this is yo-yoing. even though he [hamilton] says it's not, it is yo-yoing."
This is not driver controlled racing, it was already limited in F1, but this is ridiculous.
Max has been vocal about these rules since?avantman wrote: ↑29 Mar 2026, 16:40Yes, you specifically should dismiss Verstappen s comments.DJ Downforce wrote: ↑29 Mar 2026, 16:31By that exact logic, we should dismiss Verstappen's complaints because he's struggling for q3 at the moment...avantman wrote: ↑29 Mar 2026, 16:21
Hamilton is the least reliable person on entire grid you wanna listen to when it comes to those things. There is no doubts he would’ve been praising hard the ground effect regs if he was still at or near the top driving next to Bottas. The moment his Ferrari gets back to where it belongs - around 4th fastest car on the grid and the entire field gets naturally closer together, which makes him regularly struggling to get into Q3 he will start bashing these regs like nobody before. Only question when will this happen, not if.
I don't understand why it is so automated, I understand the complexity but in my opinion it should be drivers controlling it completely, from charging to deployment. Complaining that it is AI run is not against the rules, I think tactical opportunities are a plus but it should be manual, not AI run where drivers don't know how to control it. Is this automated because all of them use same ECU or is it that they predict they are faster that way?DDopey wrote: ↑29 Mar 2026, 16:16I understand some of the people who like the overtaking, short instant dopamine shots are quite popular these days. But this is Lando talking:
"honestly some of the racing, i didn't even want to overtake lewis. it’s just that my battery deploys, i don't want it to deploy, but i can't control it.
so, i overtake him, and then i have no battery left, so he just flies past. this is not racing, this is yo-yoing. even though he [hamilton] says it's not, it is yo-yoing."
This is not driver controlled racing, it was already limited in F1, but this is ridiculous.
source - https://www.planetf1.com/news/oliver-be ... -criticism“Honestly, some of the racing… like, I didn’t even want to overtake Lewis,” reigning World Champion Lando Norris said after the race.
“It’s just about the battery deploys, and I don’t want it to deploy, but I can’t control it. So I overtake him, and then I have no battery, so he just flies past. This is not racing, this is yo-yoing.
“When you’re just at the mercy of whatever the power unit delivers, the driver should be in control of it, at least, and we’re not.
“Yes, the racing can look great on TV, but the racing inside the car is certainly not as authentic as it needs to be.”
gearboxtrouble wrote: ↑29 Mar 2026, 17:34Landos quotes after the race are damning. F1 is facing a complete, utter disaster with the new rules and needs to act now to save 27-29
source - https://www.planetf1.com/news/oliver-be ... -criticism“Honestly, some of the racing… like, I didn’t even want to overtake Lewis,” reigning World Champion Lando Norris said after the race.
“It’s just about the battery deploys, and I don’t want it to deploy, but I can’t control it. So I overtake him, and then I have no battery, so he just flies past. This is not racing, this is yo-yoing.
“When you’re just at the mercy of whatever the power unit delivers, the driver should be in control of it, at least, and we’re not.
“Yes, the racing can look great on TV, but the racing inside the car is certainly not as authentic as it needs to be.”
FittingMechanics wrote: ↑29 Mar 2026, 16:57I don't understand why it is so automated, I understand the complexity but in my opinion it should be drivers controlling it completely, from charging to deployment. Complaining that it is AI run is not against the rules, I think tactical opportunities are a plus but it should be manual, not AI run where drivers don't know how to control it. Is this automated because all of them use same ECU or is it that they predict they are faster that way?
If you eliminate super clip and lift and coast you probably don't need recharge buttons at all. So all that is left is boost, make it manual and drivers will be required to make it work.
venkyhere wrote: ↑29 Mar 2026, 09:28I have an easy solution - allow deployment/recharge manually (two buttons), by the driver, no AI stuff. Throttle/brake pedal position can be used to determine rate of deployment/recharge that each button press commands. Driver has to use his brain and driving skill, simultaneously. Right now, driver is just a pedal press timer.
+1bananapeel23 wrote: ↑29 Mar 2026, 11:45I’m still of the opinion that the racing is very interesting, even if I’d prefer it if there was no super clipping and the cars were a bit less energy starved. I don’t mind the pass and re-pass type of racing at all, I think it’s pretty fun.
I enjoy the fact that sloppy management from a faster car means that you risk being reovertaken, and that clever management can keep a faster car ahead. Without perfectly tuned DRS you could just power by and forget the car behind you, with almost no punishment for being sloppy about it, since reovertaking was practically impossible.
I can only recall significant passing and repassing in early 2022 (Ocon/Gasly and Leclerc/Verstappen), as well as Alonso on Perez in Brazil 2023. Now you get it constantly and Russell was punished by Leclerc for overtaking sloppily several times. Good racecraft in the form of energy management and tyre management is clearly more important than ever, and that’s something I enjoy.
What I don’t enjoy is the super clipping. It sucks, and I don’t think these cars would race any worse without it.
Although I’d argue that the primary driver of the good racing are the (in my opinion) absolutely amazing aero regs, and not the crappy PU. These cars would race just as well or better if they didn’t have to super clip.
Hopefully the unplanned spring break provides enough opportunity to thoroughly consider well thought out band-aid fixes for 2026. Perhaps a 100-150 kW superclipping cap and harvesting allowances reduced to like 7 MJ at most on all tracks except for like Baku. I would guess that a more ICE focused engine formula wouldn’t be agreed upon by Ferrari/RBPT/Audi/Honda without ADUO being scrapped, however.
I also hope for a thorough reconsideration of the harvesting allowances and fuel flow for 2027.
If possible I’d even love to see the MGU-H or front axle regen for 2028, since the cars could be turned into rocket ships with higher fuel flow, 9 MJ on all tracks and passive harvesting.