2026 Formula 1 rules raise doubts for Kimi Antonelli: “You’ll have to drive differently”. Andrea Kimi Antonelli expresses doubts about the 2026 F1 regulations.

Looking to the future
While the 2025 Formula 1 season continues — for now clearly dominated by McLaren — teams and drivers are preparing for the highly anticipated regulation change in 2026, which remains a hot topic and is raising some eyebrows. It’s no coincidence that the FIA is still working on the final details of the rules, which will come into force in six months, and that the team principals from the top squads keep calling for adjustments in hopes of gaining a competitive edge.

But the looming revolution, which involves both power units and aerodynamics, doesn’t seem to have full support even from the drivers. Max Verstappen, long before anyone else, pointed out potential contradictions in the new rules, including the risk of needing to downshift on Monza’s main straight because the battery runs out. Maybe it won’t come to that, but the Dutch world champion isn’t the only one to express doubts about F1’s future.

Kimi Antonelli’s concerns
Young Italian Mercedes talent Andrea Kimi Antonelli also revealed some skepticism about the much-debated 2026 rules, speaking at a Petronas event in Santena, near Turin: “The driving style will change a lot,” said car #12, confirming that on tracks like Monza, the risk of running out of battery already on the main straight is real.

“You’ll also have to change the way you drive in corners, maybe sometimes easing off the throttle more to manage the battery better and save it,” added the Bologna-born driver. Kimi Antonelli also explained that teams might even bring small ‘simulators’ to the track — obviously much simpler than those used in the factory — to help drivers train and adapt to a very different driving approach.

“Not the best rulebook”
Kimi Antonelli also made a wry comment about the possible ‘adjustments’ currently being discussed by the FIA, suggesting that, in his view, the federation may have realized that this “is not the best of rulebooks.” We’ll see, between now and the start of the new year, whether the sport’s governing body will intervene to change anything — starting with the combustion-to-electric power ratio, currently set at 50/50 for next season. One thing is certain: there’s less and less time left to reshuffle the deck.