Formula E star Lucas di Grassi slams 'extremely badly designed' 2026 F1 regulations

Formula E champion Lucas di Grassi has launched a scathing critique of Formula 1's 2026 technical regulations, labeling them "extremely badly designed" and questioning the logic behind their creation. The Brazilian driver, who has experience in both F1 and top-tier endurance racing, argues the rules make the cars slow and unraceable, while boldly predicting that Formula E cars could surpass F1 in outright performance within a few years.

Why it matters:

Di Grassi's criticism adds significant weight to the growing chorus of driver concerns about the 2026 rules, which heavily increase energy management and electrical power. As a champion in a premier electric racing series and a former F1 driver, his technical perspective challenges the FIA's regulatory direction and raises fundamental questions about the future identity and peak performance hierarchy of global motorsport.

The details:

• Di Grassi places blame squarely on the rule-makers, stating, "The hybrid rules of F1 are extremely badly designed... It's the rules which are decided by the FIA, and some people within the FIA who decided the rules."
• He corroborates complaints from current F1 drivers like Max Verstappen, revealing he has spoken to simulator drivers who confirm the rules "create a lot of problems" on certain tracks.
• The core issue, according to di Grassi, is not hybridization itself but poor rule framing that results in cars that are "very slow and sometimes not very efficient or not very raceable."

What's next:

Di Grassi presents a provocative vision for the future, where Formula E's continuous development could flip the performance script on F1.

• With the 800bhp Gen4 car arriving next season and plans for Gen4.5 and Gen5, he believes Formula E has the "potential" to become the world's fastest racing category.
• He speculates this could lead to a reshuffling of driver prestige, calendar synergy, or even a scenario where Formula E cars are "two-three-four-five seconds faster than F1" at circuits like Monaco.
• His comments intensify the pressure on the FIA to address the fundamental criticisms of the 2026 package before its debut, as concerns move from theoretical to confirmed by simulator data.