Nigel Mansell labels F1 2026 overtaking ‘false’ ahead of Miami changes
Nigel Mansell has voiced his criticism of the early F1 2026 rules, with changes on the way.
Nigel Mansell has voiced his criticism towards the F1 2026 regulations so far, saying the overtaking is “false” and that “an awful lot of [fans] are very grumpy” with how the racing has unfolded.
Opinions have differed on the regulations to date, which saw both the chassis and power units change at the same time. After the April talks, the key stakeholders in the sport are seeking to address early issues with updates from the Miami Grand Prix onwards.
Nigel Mansell says F1 2026 overtaking is ‘false’
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The first three races have divided opinion in the sense that, while on-track overtakes have significantly increased overall, the nature of the racing involved has owed in part to how the new power units operate.
While the likes of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell have voiced their praise for this new rule set, others like Lando Norris and Max Verstappen have been on the other side of the debate.
For Mansell, the 1992 World Champion referenced Norris when discussing an overtake of Hamilton at Suzuka last time out, which came beyond his control and left him a “sitting duck” for the Ferrari driver to re-pass.
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“I might get shot for saying this,” he began in an interview with Autosport, “but sadly, some of the overtakes are just totally false.
“I mean, some of the overtakes look great, and then you come out the next corner, and then the car just blasts past you, and the other car goes backwards because the ‘computer’ is giving you the extra power not at the right time, and the driver doesn’t control that, because he wouldn’t have employed it.
“I think it was Lando quoted, ‘well, I didn’t want to overtake him going into the fast corner, into the chicane, but I had no choice’, and then coming out the corners in the lead, and then the car just blasts past him again, going down the straight.
“I think you’ve got to be very careful, because forget me – it doesn’t matter about me – but the fans around the world. I know an awful lot of them are very grumpy, and to be fair to the fans, I agree with them.”
Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has defended the new regulations and their impact on the sport so far, referencing an increase in viewing figures around the world and race attendance as signs of further progress to build upon.
The teams met with the FIA, FOM and the power unit manufacturers over the April gap in racing to discuss the impact of the new regulations so far, with several changes having been made to be put into place at the Miami Grand Prix, both on safety grounds and to help drivers push flat-out over a qualifying lap.
Addressing the rule refinements, FIA single-seater director Nikolas Tombazis said the sport has not been in a bad place per se, but these tweaks will look to add to what he believes is a “fundamentally good package” of regulations.
“I think it’s important to know that no one believed the patient, our sport, was in intensive care,” he said.
“There were clearly issues to be drawn, but we were not in intensive care.
“Maybe the patient needs to exercise a bit more and eat a couple of apples a day and improve and take some vitamins.
“That’s what we’ve been acting on. It’s an evolution, it’s not a revolution.
“We fundamentally believe we’ve got a good package and it’s normal to have to make adjustments as it happens.”
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