Coulthard says F1 ignored 2026 rules warnings

David Coulthard says Formula 1 could have avoided many of the problems triggered by its 2026 technical regulations because drivers and engineers warned about them before the season started, only for the sport to react once racing exposed the flaws.

Speaking on the Up to Speed podcast, the former Formula 1 driver said concerns had already been raised before a single grand prix about the effect the rules would have on racing. He said issues such as super-clipping and “io-io” overtakes had been flagged in advance, with Max Verstappen among those warning about the likely consequences.

Coulthard compared the rollout to the World Cup final halftime show in the United States, arguing the criticism was there before the event but it still went ahead. “The new rules seemed a bit like the halftime show during the World Cup final,” he said. “It was a bit disappointing” because it “came at us like a steamroller.”

For Coulthard, Melbourne was the moment the concerns moved from theory to obvious on-track evidence. He said the Australian Grand Prix made clear that “the cars slow down when they approach certain corners,” confirming the kind of racing compromises that had already been predicted.

That, he argued, was the most frustrating part. In a category so heavily reliant on simulation and forward planning, Coulthard believes F1 should not have needed a race weekend to discover problems insiders had already identified.

He does, however, see signs that the championship has recovered some of its appeal since the early-season disappointment. Coulthard said the season has been stronger from Miami onward, pointing to five different winners in the last five grands prix as evidence that the racing picture has become more varied.

Even so, he does not think the underlying weakness has gone away. Coulthard said Hungary worked “for the right reasons” because the Hungaroring is an “energy rich” circuit where drivers can recharge more easily without coasting through previously flat-out corners, while Silverstone and Spa-Francorchamps still showed the limits of the regulations. With energy-starved tracks such as Monza and Singapore still to come after the summer break, the issue could yet return to the center of the season.