In Barcelona, Formula 1 teams and drivers had their first opportunity to test the new cars for the 2026 season, but this took place behind closed doors during the shakedown. F1 did share interviews and analysis from teams and drivers during the event, but few outspoken opinions were heard outside the Barcelona paddock.
That changed in Bahrain, however, with the first official 2026 F1 test kicking off last week. This time, media outlets, including Motorsport.com, were welcome, and a clearer picture emerged of what the drivers think about the 2026 F1 cars.
As they learn more about the new cars, those opinions may change, but how do the drivers currently feel?
From the outspoken opinion of Max Verstappen to the positive comments from Lando Norris and Kimi Antonelli, here is an overview of the F1 drivers’ reactions to the new generation of cars.
Gabriel Bortoleto: “You can play a little bit more”
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“It feels a little bit like the junior series,” said Audi driver Gabriel Bortoleto. “Obviously, the grip level is a bit higher, but it comes back a little bit to the basics of that. The car that has less grip, that you are sliding more through the corner, that you can play with more – it’s just a bit different.
“Last year, the cars were literally planted in the floor, you know. You would go through a high speed and the moment you have a snap, you would probably just, or spin, or end it up in a bad way. And this year, it feels that you can play a little bit more with it.
“It’s just different, you know, like… It’s less fast than last year for sure. So everyone always thinks ‘oh, because you have faster cars, it’s always more enjoyable,’ but sometimes it’s also enjoyable to have a car that has less grip.
“I still don’t have a clear opinion of what I prefer, because it’s very early stages and I need to see also how we race with this because we so far haven’t raced with these new regulations. But it’s enjoyable, it’s nice.”
Charles Leclerc: “I find the fun in a different way”
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“I mean, fun, it’s not the funniest car,” the Ferrari driver said. “It’s not the most fun I’ve had driving a car, but it’s the way it is. And I find the fun in a different way.
“I think the challenge of really developing this whole new system is, in itself, something that I’ve enjoyed. And something that I find very interesting. In that, I kind of find some fun into just experiencing different things. And things that might have not worked in the past. But now that it’s all different, it’s cool to be able to think a bit outside the box. And to try and find other ways in trying to maximise the performance of the car.
“But the actual pleasure of driving the car is different.”
Fernando Alonso: “The chef can drive the car”
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“I don’t know, we need to wait a couple of races to see how these regs work when we are all together and how racing becomes,” Fernando Alonso explained. “Here in Bahrain, has been historically Turn 12 a very challenging corner. So, you used to choose your downforce level to go Turn 12 just flat, so you remove downforce until you are in Turn 12 just flat with new tyres.
“So, it was a driver skill, decisive factor to go fast in a lap time. Now, in Turn 12, we are like 50km/h slower because we don’t want to waste energy there and we want to have all on the straights. So, to do Turn 12 instead of 260 at 200, you can drive the car. The chef can drive the car in Turn 12 at that speed.
“But you don’t want to waste energy because you want to have it on the straights. But at the same time, this is Formula 1 and it has always been like that. Now it’s the energy. Last year or two years ago when he won all the races it was the downforce.”
Max Verstappen: “I enjoy driving flat out. You cannot drive like that”
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“To drive, [it’s] not a lot of fun, to be honest,” said Max Verstappen. “It’s not very Formula 1-like. It feels a bit more like Formula E on steroids. But the rules are the same for everyone, so you have to deal with that.
“And that’s also not my problem, because I’m all for that. Equal chances, I don’t mind that. But as a pure driver, I enjoy driving flat out. And at the moment, you cannot drive like that. There’s a lot going on. A lot of what you do as a driver, in terms of inputs, has a massive effect on the energy side of things.
“For me, that’s just not Formula 1. Maybe it’s then better to drive Formula E, right? Because that’s all about energy, efficiency and management.
“That’s what they stand for. So yeah, driving-wise, not so fun. But at the same time, I also know what is at stake with the team. Our own engine. And seeing the excitement of the people. Of course, when I sit in the car, I will always give it my very best.”
Lando Norris: “I don’t know if I thought it would be easier or harder”
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“A lot of fun, I really enjoyed it,” said McLaren’s Lando Norris. “Formula 1 changes all the time, sometimes it’s a bit better to drive, sometimes it’s not as good to drive.
“I think it’s certainly the most different of my Formula 1 cars that I’ve driven. They’ve kind of been all similar changes over the years, and all have driven in a fairly similar way.
“This is certainly the one which is the most different, just a lot less grip, a much trickier car to drive, but more power. That’s not a good thing, necessarily, because it makes it also harder to drive. But more fun, you feel the acceleration difference, you feel the speed and all those things.
“So, I don’t know if I thought it would be easier or harder. It’s a challenge.”
Kimi Antonelli: “The car, I think, is quite nice to drive”
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“It’s a lot different, but I’ve been quite enjoying the car,” said Kimi Antonelli. “Of course, you have less downforce than last year, a lot more power on corner exit, which makes – especially in a track like this – the long run very difficult, because traction becomes very tricky towards the end.
“But of course, there’s a lot of adaptation that is required and that’s why we need to really maximise the next three days because, obviously, we need to be as ready as possible going into Melbourne.
“I think the car is lighter, it’s a bit shorter, so it’s more agile. You know, low speed, actually, the feeling is quite nice because you really feel the car being more agile. Obviously, the speed is a bit less, but on that side, you know, the car, I think, is quite nice to drive.”
Pierre Gasly: “I’m more going with an open mind into the season”
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“It’s just very different,” said Alpine’s Pierre Gasly. “At the end of the day, we race against the best driver in the world and we just got to do a better job than the guys sitting in the car next to us, and got to do a better job as a team than the 10 other teams in the paddock.
“Yeah, you can prefer a certain car – I don’t want to be dragged into Max and Lando’s comments – I think on my side I’m more going with an open mind into the season and after a couple races, you know, we’ll have a better understanding of how it is in terms of racing, driving itself.
“I think F1 is going to evolve so fast, because look at these teams, look at the rate of development from these guys, just looking at 2014 and how things evolve, it’s going to be the same happening with these cars. So, there is a starting point, it doesn’t mean it’s going to stay there forever and I’m just going to give it some time.”
Esteban Ocon: “At the moment, it’s too early to say”
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“I think the positive is that, obviously, it’s a new challenge for all of us,” said Haas driver Esteban Ocon. “I’ve come in F1 and it’s been the same rule set, let’s say, since I joined, you know, since 10 years: same engine, very similar, always, you know, working with the same tools. Now obviously we have everything to learn again.
“Is it the most fun to drive? Maybe not necessarily, but it’s quite interesting to try and get everything sorted with the engineer and to try and get the maximum out of the situation. You know, it’s a new style of driving, it’s a new way of sorting things out. If tomorrow, you know, we go racing in Melbourne and there is three overtakes a lap, I think everybody will say this is amazing.
“So, I’m more on the cautious side where we will see how this goes, if it promotes overtaking, if it promotes the show. If it doesn’t, maybe then some briefings will need to happen, but at the moment it’s too early to say that.”
Alex Albon: “There’s quite big differences between teams”
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“The new car moves around a bit more than last year’s,” remarked Alex Albon after his first laps with the Williams FW48, after the team skipped the Barcelona shakedown. “Firstly, there’s quite big differences between teams. I think even just being out there on track, you can see you follow a McLaren, you follow a Haas. Completely different driving lines, different ways to get a lap time, different deployments around the lap.
“So, I think everything will start to merge as we get closer to the start of the first race.
“But in the meantime, just a good challenge. I feel like a lot of thinking required. I think that’s also partly because we miss Barcelona and we’ve got a little bit more to catch up on. But yeah, I’m enjoying it.”
Valtteri Bottas: “It reminds more of the cars from 2014 into 2016”
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“It’s quite different,” said Cadillac’s Valtteri Bottas. “For me, definitely feeling-wise in the car, it reminds more of the cars from 2014 into 2016. You know, the feeling is you’re sliding a bit more, you have less downforce, but then the power out of the corners is quite nice.
“It’s quite a lot compared to the grip we have. So, for example, the throttle application out of the corners is much longer now than it used to be. So, it’s a different way of driving, especially when it comes to the qualifying mode or race mode, it’s quite a big difference when it comes to the deployment and stuff. But I like it. It’s fun. More sliding.”
Liam Lawson: “There’s a lot of learning at the moment”
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“It’s pretty tough to drive,” said Liam Lawson. “Especially here, we have a lot of tyre deg, so there’s a lot more sliding going on this year. And it is quite tricky to drive.
“I would say, there’s a lot of learning at the moment trying to optimise driving this car. Between short runs, qualifying with the battery management we have to do and the long runs as well. It’s a learning curve.”
Asked whether he can enjoy the new cars, Lawson responds with a telling: “Uhm…”
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