The 2026 Formula 1 regulations may seem like they are an age away, but for the teams, the new era is here already. With concerns about a lack of pace and long lift and coast periods among other things, could the collective brains of the paddock make the upcoming changes a success?
The Formula 1 paddock is full of the most brilliant minds that are incredible at responding immediately to the biggest of challenges thrown at them. But, collectively, it is true also that there is often big resistance to change.
Maybe it’s simply a flipside of those same amazing brains that see opportunity in everything; in that their neurons also have to fire off warnings about the worst outcome of things to come.
Jonathan Noble is Motorsport.com’s Formula 1 editor. Having graduated from University of Sussex Jonathan worked for sports news agency Collings Sports reporting on F1, F3, touring cars and other sports, with articles appearing in The Daily Telegraph, The Independent, Reuters, Autosport and other publications. In 1999 he moved to Haymarket Publishing to become a senior editor at Autosport Special Projects, and one year later he became Autosport’s grand prix editor. In 2015 he moved to Motorsport Network, becoming the F1 editor for Motorsport.com. He is also a member of the Guild of Motoring Writers, and sits on the FIA Media Council.
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