"I'm a bit sad": Lance Stroll makes bleak statement about F1's upcoming overhaul

Aston Martin driver Lance Stroll has given a bleak verdict on the 2026 Formula 1 regulations. He has made it clear that he is not a big fan of the regulations and has even deemed them as 'sad'.

2026 will mark a new dawn in the pinnacle of motorsport with regard to the new regulations. It has come to light that next year's regulations will be more focused on sustainability and will thus promote the use of 100% sustainable fuels.

Moreover, the hybrid power units will see a drop from 550-560kw to 400kw, with an almost 300% increase in electric power. Additionally, the amount of energy that the drivers will be able to recuperate during the braking phases will be doubled to 8.5 MJ per lap.

Lance Stroll has driven the 2026 car in the simulator, and he is not a fan of it. In line with this, he recently said the following via racingnews365:

“We’ll get a bit of an idea in the test and then in Australia, but the regulations, I think, are a bit sad, I have driven it in the sim, and that’s why I’m a bit sad. It is a shame that in Formula 1, we’re taking the path of electric energy, and we’ve had to take all the downforce off to support the battery power."

Lance Stroll has been competing in the pinnacle of motorsport since 2017 and has, over the years, seen the regulations change from turbo-hybrid (2012-2021) to ongoing ground-effect regulations (2022-2025).

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Lance Stroll deemed AMR25 'worst piece of shi*t' at British GP

F1 Grand Prix of Great Britain - Source: Getty

While Lance Stroll has given his take on the 2026 Formula 1 regulations, he came into the limelight for all the wrong reasons during the British GP. In the challenging/wet 52-lap race, Stroll secured a decent P7 finish, but despite this, came in the firing line for his radio comments.

During the last seven laps of the Silverstone race, he lost two places, and following this, he came up with a furious rant via the Aston Martin team radio. He said:

"Yeah crazy is an understatement, I mean it’s the worst piece of sh*t I’ve ever driven to be honest." (Via Motorsportweek).

The 26-year-old added the following via the post-race interview:

"The Sauber had a lot more grip today, so they had a much faster car. I think the result was good. I think we had a lot of degradation and couldn’t really fight with that kind of degradation."

The 2025 Formula 1 season is 12 rounds down, and Lance Stroll currently finds himself in 12th place in the drivers' standings with 20 points. His teammate and two-time world champion Fernando Alonso is in 14th with 16 points. Next up on the race calendar is next week's Belgian Grand Prix race weekend.

Edited by Mitali