Formula E chief Alberto Longo believes that Formula 1 is making a big mistake by increasingly resembling the electric racing class. Due to the new 2026 regulations, the F1 engine is now fifty percent electric, meaning energy management – just like in Formula E – plays a key role during races. According to Longo, the pinnacle of motorsport has chosen the wrong path with the new rules: ‘They need to go back to basics’.
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Formula 1 has a brand-new technical regulation this year. As a result, both the engine and the chassis are significantly different compared to last season. Especially the power unit has changed, as it is now fifty percent electric. Energy management therefore plays a much larger role during races, and drivers must, among other things, drive slower through corners to charge the battery in time. Max Verstappen therefore already labeled driving under the new F1 rules as ‘Formula E on steroids’.
Formula E co-founder Alberto Longo, however, does not see the comparison with his racing class from Formula 1 drivers as an insult. “I think there is a very old Spanish saying that goes: ‘let them talk’. If they talk about you, it’s because you are important,” Longo told Motorsport.com. “That is certainly how we feel.”
The Spaniard – himself a big fan of Formula 1 – does think, however, that the pinnacle of motorsport has gone in the wrong direction with the new regulations. “I am absolutely convinced that they have chosen certain rules that probably harm their spectacle and their show a bit,” Longo states. “They are starting to look more and more like us. We don’t have exclusivity, but we do already have expertise in that area.”
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‘Formula 1 is making a mistake’
The latter was particularly evident in how some Formula 1 drivers ran out of electrical energy at the race start and on the straights in Melbourne. In Formula E, these kinds of problems do not occur. “We can drive for eight minutes or six minutes in Attack Mode and the car does not slow down,” Longo compares the two racing classes. “I think Formula 1 needs to go back to basics. The cars make noise, they have full power, they use the latest technologies. That’s what Formula 1 is all about.”
“Formula E is a completely different story. That’s how we’ve presented ourselves from day one,” Longo continues. “It’s not one or the other, it’s both. But the problem is that they want to look more like Formula E. As a fan, I think they are making a mistake. I am convinced that they must stay true to themselves, to their principles,” the Spaniard concludes.
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