Alex Albon has also expressed criticism of the current F1 regulations. Following the likes of teammate Carlos Sainz, Max Verstappen, and Lewis Hamilton, he also sees room for improvement. After the Japanese GP, Albon spoke of ‘uncomfortable’ defensive tactics he has to employ in 2026. He also revealed that this subject was already discussed during the pre-race briefing.
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After the Japanese GP, the discussion about the new regulations flared up again. The cause was the shocking crash of Oliver Bearman, who approached Franco Colapinto with a large speed difference, had to swerve onto the grass, and eventually hit the guardrail with an impact of 50G. The field of drivers subsequently called for adjustments and more input from drivers in shaping the regulations. Not long after, the FIA confirmed that it will meet during the spring break in April to discuss possible changes.
‘Uncomfortable’
Although Albon had not seen the incident between Bearman and Colapinto himself, he was clear that the current focus on energy management makes it ‘uncomfortable’ to defend your position. “We already talked about it during the briefing,” the British-Thai driver revealed after the race. “About the speed at which you approach the corners, overtaking and defending, those kinds of things. It feels really uncomfortable now, because you want to defend, but you sometimes worry about the car behind you: does it have enough control?”
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Albon immediately came up with possible solutions that might prevent crashes like Bearman’s. “Maybe we should make the Straight Line mode a bit more stable, or less powerful, or something in that direction. More like the regular DRS, which is easier to control.” Albon himself struggled with several technical problems during the Japanese GP. He finished twentieth, two laps behind race winner Kimi Antonelli. “We tried to understand the problems from qualifying,” he said. “We continue to look for the cause.” Williams used the race largely as a test session. “We were able to practice some pit stops and test the front wing a bit. There wasn’t much more in it today.” Albon hopes that the current spring break will provide a solution. “If we can’t solve it within five weeks, I’ll start to worry,” he concluded.
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