Le Mans Legend: F1 2026 Rewards Brains Over Bravery

Nine-time Le Mans winner Tom Kristensen has given an honest take on the direction of Formula 1 in 2026, suggesting the new regulations seemingly reward intelligence over sheer bravery.

The all-new technical rules have completely transformed the core DNA of F1 this season. The biggest changes have come on the power unit side, with the latest-spec PUs now featuring a nearly equal 50-50 split between electric and combustion propulsion. This has forced drivers to rely heavily on energy management, and the tools at their disposal have not pleased drivers and fans alike.

Eleven rounds into 2026, criticism surrounding constant lifting and coasting, 'superclipping', and mandated downshifts on straights to top up the battery has overshadowed the racing spectacle. Driving styles have changed too, with the most pronounced effects visible at what were once considered the most iconic corners in F1—places like Copse, Maggots and Becketts, the Suzuka esses, and Eau Rouge—where drivers now calculate entry speed to ensure their batteries are not depleted by the time they hit the straights.

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Kristensen believes that modern F1 now rewards intelligent driving more than outright bravery. "At some circuits, of course, such as Hungary, they can run sort of flat out," he said at the Hungarian GP. "But it's true that you have had Silverstone, Spa, Suzuka, maybe Baku, Monza as well, where you will have those things. But it just speaks to the complexity of Formula 1 at the moment."

He added: "Drivers don't decide, so I would say it's not so rewarding to go through, say, real men's corners as we would say in my day, and you probably have to look a little bit more intelligently at how you approach a corner like that. Sometimes that's not so rewarding."

However, Kristensen understands that F1 is the pinnacle of motorsport and must embrace technology. "But anyway, F1 is complicated, and it's complex, and it's about being intelligent and creating an opportunity and creating an advantage for yourself. If that means that you have to do that a little bit differently, then I applaud that as well," he said.

He also understands why drivers like Max Verstappen have been vocal in their criticism. "From a driver perspective, certainly we like to be rewarded with having done everything on a knife's edge through a corner at times. So yes, a little conflict there," he added. "Probably, you can say that it's a little bit below expectation about where you would actually be in terms of the modern technology, so to speak. Maybe, that's my own point of view. But now it will be adjusted a little bit going forward. In Formula 1, if somebody has an advantage, they will, of course, be reluctant to make changes, so that's a dynamic of being at the forefront in the toughest sport in the world."

Heading into 2027, the FOM and FIA have considered driver opinions and will implement a 60-40 split in engine power allocation, favouring the ICE, by 2028. This signals that the 2026 regulations are not set in stone and will continue to evolve to preserve the essence of racing.