The 2026 F1 season, kicking off in Melbourne next weekend, promises plenty of excitement with a radically new rulebook. However, this has raised numerous questions, fears, and even sparked some controversies.
Several engine suppliers have accused Mercedes of exploiting a loophole in the compression ratio, a matter that will be resolved somewhat ambiguously over several months by calculating the compression ratio at high temperatures, which was not initially done.
The FIA had originally planned for cold tests, allowing engine manufacturers to work differently at high temperatures. Former F1 driver David Coulthard also criticized the FIA, urging them to do a better job.
“The FIA is the governing body of Formula 1. Recently, I read that they said ‘we are only about twenty people writing rules against F1 teams that employ hundreds of people, which is why we did not notice the loophole to close it’,” explained Coulthard.
“If lawmakers did a better job, honestly, to understand the operating window of an F1… it’s not in a garage at room temperature. It’s on the track. With an engine temperature at 110 °C, everything burning, and brakes at over 1000 °C. They should design the rules and regulations taking this into account.”
However, Smedley, who worked as an engineer in F1 from 2001 to 2018 for teams like Ferrari before joining the FOM, believes that the sport has never been stronger.
“I think Formula 1 is in excellent health. It has never been as robust as it is today,” he said to Motorsport Week. “It is much more popular, and I think that’s because it’s a better sporting spectacle.”
“We have turned Formula 1 into a better spectacle; it finally knows what it is. F1 has been through a long identity crisis: was it a technological quest? A business? A sport? It couldn’t really define itself.”
“I think it has done very well in this self-examination by stating ‘We are about entertainment, that’s what we do’. I think Liberty Media has been absolutely exceptional for this sport.”
“Some purists and longtime fans may not appreciate the direction taken, you can’t please everyone all the time, but if you look at the popularity and the decreasing average age of fans, it’s great. The sport is in great shape.”
Smedley was extremely positive about the new rules, believing that the pre-season debates will fade once the championship starts, and he commended the efforts made on the size and weight of the cars.
“We have seismic rule changes this year. I quite like them. I really like the look of the cars, I’m thrilled that they have slimmed down a bit. It’s nice that they resemble Formula 1 cars again rather than pick-ups.”
“Regarding the technical regulations, there are many discussions at the moment, but I think these rules are very well thought out. There will always be a lot of noise around new regulations, but it’s normal, it’s the nature of this environment.”
“But I think that once we get to Australia, after one or two races, all of this will disappear. It’s always like that, unless there is a major issue like ground effect nose-diving when introducing the previous cars. It will all fade into the background, and people will simply focus on the race.”
