Carlos Sainz is happy with the first Formula 1 rule changes implemented by the FIA. The governing body announced on Monday that several regulatory adjustments would be implemented with immediate effect. According to Sainz, this is a good step, but he immediately predicts: ‘Probably there will be other things we need to change in the future’.
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The FIA announced on Monday that rule changes to the 2026 regulations would be implemented with immediate effect. Carlos Sainz was one of the drivers who called for change after Oliver Bearman’s heavy crash at Suzuka. “We had already warned them that this would happen,” Sainz told Sky Sports F1 at the time. “These kinds of overtaking speeds and these kinds of accidents were inevitable. I am not very happy with what we have seen so far. Hopefully, we will find a better solution that prevents these enormous overtaking speeds and provides a safer way to race.”
The governing body heeded the call from, among others, the Spaniard, and is now taking measures to improve safety. For example, the maximum power available via the boost in race conditions is now limited to +150 kW (or the car’s current power level upon activation if this is higher), to limit sudden speed differences.
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‘More changes in the future’
Sainz, also chairman of the GPDA drivers’ union, is happy with the changes. “I have always said from the beginning that we must remain open, because it is such a big change in the regulations that we certainly wouldn’t get everything right immediately at the start,” the driver tells DAZN España. “I am happy that proactive action is being taken and that changes are happening that will likely have an effect. Probably there will be other things we need to change in the future.”
“I am happy that measures have been taken, and I can’t wait to see what effect this has on the car’s race performance,” Sainz continues. “What effect this has on how it goes when we push the car to its limits during qualifying.”
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