Gabriel Bortoleto has defended the growing role of artificial intelligence in 2026 F1 power units, arguing that Formula 1 must use every technological tool available if it is to remain a proving ground for the innovations of the future.
The Brazilian driver’s position contrasts with the concerns expressed by several of his colleagues, including Oscar Piastri, who have questioned whether adaptive software should have such a significant influence on the delivery of electrical power and energy.
Artificial intelligence becomes a major factor in 2026 F1 power units
“Having starting grids decided by computers that work properly or malfunction is not a good way to go racing,” Oscar Piastri said when discussing the technology used in the 2026 Formula 1 cars.
The McLaren driver was referring particularly to the power units, which are equipped with software capable of adapting and learning where and how to deploy power and electrical energy. The behaviour of these systems can evolve according to the information received from the driver’s inputs during a lap.
The role of artificial intelligence in analysing those inputs and adjusting the use of the power unit’s electrical component has consequently become a major subject of debate across the Formula 1 paddock. The issue has become particularly relevant amid the software-related energy deployment problems investigated by Mercedes.
Several drivers have explained that it is difficult to become accustomed to a car whose behaviour can change for reasons unrelated to the traditional variables they have managed throughout their careers. These normally include the reduction in fuel weight as a race progresses and the gradual degradation of the tyres.
Adaptive power-unit software introduces another variable. A driver’s braking, throttle application and energy use can influence how the system responds and how electrical power is made available during subsequent laps.
Gabriel Bortoleto defends AI in 2026 F1 power units
Unlike many of his fellow drivers, Gabriel Bortoleto believes the development and training of artificial intelligence in this area should be considered part of Formula 1’s responsibilities.
Formula 1 has traditionally served as a pioneering category in which advanced solutions are tested and developed by combining the latest engineering technology with human ingenuity. For Gabriel Bortoleto, refusing to take advantage of modern software would therefore contradict one of the championship’s central purposes.
“We are in Formula 1 and we are developing the technology of the future,” Gabriel Bortoleto said. “If we do not use all the tools available to us in the world to our advantage, then I do not know what the point of Formula 1 is.”
“People used to complain that drivers today had too many things to do. Now that there are systems doing it for us, we complain because they are doing it for us.”
“It is good that the software can adapt and understand the type and amount of energy you are using during the lap and how it should evolve over the following laps.”
F1 drivers divided over adaptive power-unit software
Gabriel Bortoleto’s comments underline the different ways in which drivers view Formula 1’s latest technological challenge. While some are frustrated by the possibility that software behaviour can affect performance independently of their execution behind the wheel, Gabriel Bortoleto sees the same technology as an essential part of the championship’s development work.
His position does not remove the adaptation difficulties faced by drivers. Instead, it presents those challenges as part of Formula 1’s wider role in developing advanced systems that could eventually influence technology beyond the racetrack.
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