Lewis Hamilton is one of the drivers who actually enjoys the new way of racing in Formula 1. Under the 2026 regulations, energy management plays a key role in races, which is causing so-called ‘yo-yo racing’ to emerge. According to Hamilton, however, that is not very different from karting: ‘But nobody has ever called karting ‘yo-yo racing’.’
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Lewis Hamilton battled for several laps with teammate Charles Leclerc for third place during the GP China. The Ferrari driver even called it afterwards ‘the best race I’ve ever experienced’. Hamilton’s opinion goes against criticism from Max Verstappen and Lando Norris, among others, on the new regulations. Due to the new fifty-fifty split between the combustion engine and electric energy, energy management plays a much larger role during races than in previous seasons. During the first two Grands Prix of the year, it resulted in so-called ‘yo-yo racing’: drivers taking turns overtaking each other for several laps, due to differences in energy levels.
According to Hamilton, this new style of racing is not so unfamiliar to most drivers. “If you look back at karting, it’s exactly the same”, concludes the world champion to the media present in Japan. “People who keep going back and forth, and where you can never really get away. Nobody has ever called karting ‘yo-yo racing’. It’s the best form of racing, and Formula 1 hasn’t been the best form of racing for a very, very long time. Of all the cars I’ve driven in the past twenty years, this is the only car with which you can actually follow at high speed without completely losing all the grip you have.”
‘I enjoy racing’
Yet Hamilton is also not one hundred percent convinced of the 2026 regulations. “I don’t know if I really ‘like’ the new rules, I’m just saying that I enjoy racing”, explains the Ferrari driver. “Of course it’s nice to be up front when you have a good car and are competitive. Some drivers, I think many drivers, don’t enjoy it, but I personally just enjoy racing. It’s a lighter car, they are more agile. They are more fun to drive. Do I like energy management? Absolutely not, I actually hate it. Do I like the straight line mode? Not really. But overall I think it’s exciting for the sport, at a time when the sport is at its peak.”
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Read everything about the GP Japan here
