Carlos Sainz warns of bigger grid gaps under F1 2026 rules

Carlos Sainz has rued the “negative” impact of new regulations after his Williams teammate Alex Albon predicted the grid could be separated by more than “three seconds” at the Australian Grand Prix.

This season, Formula 1 has undergone one of its biggest regulatory reset in history, not only changing the chassis regulations but also the power unit formula.

Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon divided on Australian Grand Prix grid gaps

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Running shorter, lighter cars that incorporate active aerodynamics, today’s engines now run on a 50/50 split between electrical and combustion power, the latter fueled by fully sustainable biofuel.

But while it was an overhaul tipped to mix up the pecking order, Wednesday’s timesheet from Bahrain read: Mercedes, McLaren, Ferrari, McLaren, Mercedes, Red Bull, Ferrari.

The big four occupied the top seven positions, with Red Bull only running Isack Hadjar, while the others swapped out their drivers at the lunch break. The top seven were separated by 0.840s.

As for P8, that went to Sainz in the Williams FW48.

The Spaniard was the first driver who was a second or more slower than George Russell’s pace-setting time, finishing the day 1.654s down and eight-tenths slower than Lewis Hamilton in P7.

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P21 for the day, slowest of all, was Sergio Perez in the Cadillac, who was 4.732s off the pace.

It raises questions about the grid ahead of the season’s first qualifying session in Melbourne and whether there could be an intriguing fight to make it into the top-ten pole position shootout.

Albon fears that won’t happen.

“I think everyone kind of always categorised last few years as F1 1.0 and F1 1.5. Two separate teams,” he explained on the Williams YouTube channel while in conversation with Sainz.

“I think this year there is going to be possibly even four different things. I think there’ll be the top teams, the upper midfield, the bottom midfield…”

Sainz, however, was a bit more optimistic.

“I remember back in 2019, there were very big gaps between teams,” he said of 2019’s Australian GP quali where first to 20th in Q1 was just over four seconds.

“My feeling is, at least at the beginning of this year, the gaps are going to be big. Maybe not as big as back then, a bit smaller, but still bigger.

“Last year in Q1, there were 20 cars in half a second. I really doubt the fact that in Australia, race one, there’s going to be 20 cars in half a second.”

Albon chipped in: “I think there will be two cars between half a second.”

But as Sainz spoke of the drivers “all within three seconds” in Melbourne, Albon insisted: “I don’t think that’s going to happen.”

He added: “I don’t think from top to bottom it will be three seconds.”

Alas, Sainz says, that’s what happens when the regulations change.

“And we were within half,” rued the former Ferrari driver.

“So that proves to you what a new regulation also does in a negative way, because for us, as drivers, to be honest, Abu Dhabi or the last few races of last year was fun knowing that we all were within a couple of tenths of each other.”

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