Esteban Ocon has pointed out the positives of the latest 2026 Formula 1 cars despite the new regulations catching criticism up and down the paddock.
The overwhelming consensus in the paddock regarding the 2026 F1 cars is one of vehement dislike.
The 50-50 split between electric power and combustion propulsion of the new engines has left drivers and fans alike with a bad taste in their mouths after the season-opening race, at the Albert Park Circuit, last weekend.
The 58-lap race became more about managing battery deployment and suffering from the engines ‘superclipping’ than about the pure racing action.
Reigning F1 World Champion Lando Norris said that the sport has gone “from the best cars, to the worst cars”, while the likes of Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc had Super Mario quips handy for the media.
Ocon, however, has gone against the grain in terms of his feeling inside the cockpit of his VF-26.
Reflecting on the Australian GP, the Frenchman likened the new cars to that of 2016, appealing to his fond memories of the ‘well balanced’ Mercedes he drove at Silverstone as the German Marque’s junior driver.
“I think the positive is how the car feels in corners,” he said. “I think this is much more back to how it was probably like 2016, like the good cars in 2016, like the top cars.
“Definitely, the way you slide, the way you can attack the corners, it’s much more predictable and a lot nicer in terms of balance and also in terms of how the car rides overall.
“So, to me that is a step forward to last year. Then the other positive in the race is that there was, even if they were chaotic, more action.”
Esteban Ocon details progress 2026 F1 cars need to become “more enjoyable”
Ocon wasn’t entirely convinced by the technical overhaul, though.
He, like his peers, did point out how the power unit was holding back the full potential of these new cars.
Ocon is of the opinion that the sport needs to regroup and ensure that the outright deployment battle is shelfed to allow drivers push these cars to the maximum and once again become the determining factor during a race weekend.
“There was more overtaking, more fight wheel-to-wheel throughout the race, which was definitely positive. Is it straightforward in the car? No,” he surmised.
“Can the driver make enough of a difference as a driving style to be able to make like chess moves? No.
“And this is probably the negative at the moment. But I think overall that would probably improve throughout the year, and if that improves, it should be much more enjoyable.”
The Chinese GP weekend will prove to be crucial to definitively answer this controversy.
The FIA is working hard with the sport to thrash out an amendment in the rules to ensure that the issues and problems highlighted in Melbourne don’t rear their ugly heads in the forthcoming rounds of the 2026 season and beyond.
Will this regain the trust of the fans and the drivers? Only time will tell.
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