Carlos Sainz stated that he intends to tone down the public criticism of the 2026 Formula 1 regulations, but made it clear that he is still quite bothered by the behavior of the cars, especially in qualifying sessions.
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The FIA made changes before the Miami GP to try to improve the energy management of power units, both in qualifying and in the race. The changes also involved adjustments for wet conditions, including increasing the temperature of intermediate tires and changes in the use of electric power.
Even recognizing progress, Sainz believes the problem is far from solved. “In qualifying there is still a long way to go,” said the Williams driver. “As I said, I will no longer criticize this publicly. I am trying to be productive and keep insisting that this is still not good enough for F1,” he added.
Drivers continue to complain mainly about the need to manage energy instead of accelerating to the maximum on fast laps. According to the criticisms, the current system causes competitors to be penalized for attacking too much in corners, as this compromises the available electric charge on the straights. Another recurring problem involves the last corner before the fast lap, where many drivers need to deliberately reduce the throttle to preserve energy.
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Despite the recent FIA update, several drivers reported management problems in Miami. Alex Albon was one of those affected. Sainz’s teammate had to ease off to let the Spaniard pass during a fast lap, which ended up completely compromising his own energy management.
“The software likes everything to be in a specific position at the start of the lap,” explained Albon. “When I had to let Carlos pass, I ended up collecting too much energy and basically ruined my own lap.” The Thai driver said he lost about four tenths right at turn 1 after the system incorrectly interpreted the situation during qualifying.
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