David Coulthard revealed his main disappointment with the 2026 Formula 1 season, making a comparison of the new regulations to the halftime show of the World Cup final in the United States.
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When the category introduced the new rules and all the changes, it happened amid several warnings from drivers and engineers, who pointed out the problems that could arise and how it would affect the show in general. The super-clipping and ‘yo-yo’ overtakes had already been pointed out even before the start of the championship.


So, despite some changes being applied to review some of these issues, the problems were already evident at the Australia stage. “The new regulation was a bit like the World Cup halftime show,” he said on the Up to Speed podcast. “It was somewhat disappointing, considering that it was coming at us like a steamroller,” he continued.
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“You know, there’s that comedic movie scene where the steamroller is coming and the person thinks: ‘Ah, I’m going to get run over.’ And then, in the next scene, they’re there looking at the clock and thinking: ‘Ah, I’m going to get run over,’” he continued.
“So, the new regulation arrived and the drivers and engineers were saying: ‘This is not going to be good.’ [There was] practically silence from everyone else. We got to Melbourne and thought: ‘Ah, they slow down when approaching certain corners,’” he concluded.
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