Hamilton joins Verstappen in criticising F1 2026 regulations

Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton says drivers have been forced to use first and second gears in some corners “because we can’t recover enough battery power” with the new F1 2026 cars.

And he warned that lift and coast could be required even on a qualifying lap at circuits with limited braking zones during the new season.

Lewis Hamilton joins Max Verstappen in criticising F1 2026 cars

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Formula 1’s chassis and engine regulations have been overhauled ahead of the F1 2026 season with the sport embracing 50 per cent electrification, fully sustainable fuels and active aerodynamics.

With the MGU-H removed from the engine’s architecture for 2026, the power of the MGU-K – the ancillary used to recover kinetic energy in the style of the previous KERS unit – has been almost tripled to 350 kilowatts.

After a behind-closed-doors shakedown in Barcelona last month, a three-day test is being held in Bahrain this week with limited television coverage offering the first opportunity to ride onboard with the 2026 cars.

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It has been noted that drivers have been using first and second gears in corners where they would not have been used under the previous rules, with the cars unstable on corner entry as a result.

As reported by PlanetF1.com on Thursday, Red Bull driver and four-time world champion Max Verstappen has made clear his dissatisfaction with the new rules, labelling the regulations “anti-racing.”

And Hamilton has become the latest big name to criticise an aspect of the regulations, warning that the prospect of lifting and coasting on a qualifying lap is “not what racing is about.”

Hamilton has explained that the use of the lower gears is a function of the need to recovery battery power under the new rules, with the unusual approach resulting in changes to the car’s behaviour in the first phase of a corner.

He warned that drivers could be forced to lift and coast – a technique usually deployed to save fuel – 600 metres before the apex at circuits like the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya due to the lack of hard braking zones around the lap.

He told PlanetF1.com and other media outlets: “The low gears that we have to go down into is just because we can’t recover enough battery power.

“We can’t recover enough battery power, so that’s why we have to go [down into the low gears].

“We can rev the engines very, very, very high so we’re going down to second and first in some places, just to try to recover that extra bit of power.

“If you look at Barcelona, for example, we’re doing 600 metres lift and coast on a qualifying lap. That’s not what racing is about.

“Here, we’re not having to do that because there’s lots of braking zones.

“That definitely doesn’t help, because the steps between those ratios are quite high and so when you kick that down into first gear, it can snap.

“But also it’s very low downforce. And also there’s a tailwind here, so lots of people locking up into Turn 10.

“It’s the hardest getting through Turn 10 today than I think it’s ever been coming to this track.

“But it was just a lot of sliding around on top of the tyres. It’s not spectacular.”

Asked if the fastest car on a given weekend could end up missing out on the win due to poor energy management, Hamilton explained that how teams and drivers manage deployment will be “key” in F1 2026.

He said: “I have no clue, mate. I have no idea. Really. I can’t even answer that question.

“Energy management is going to be key. Which team is most on top of deployment and all that, and which drivers are on top of that -managing the controls, the feedback the driver is getting – those things are going to be crucial.

“We’ll find out more as we get into the race scenarios. Everyone’s kind of in the same boat there.”

Additional reporting by Mat Coch and Thomas Maher

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