Ex-driver Daniel Abt cannot understand the excitement surrounding the new Formula 1 regulations and believes that there are always complainers after changes
The new Formula 1 regulations for 2026 have caused a lot of discussion in the first three races. For former Formula 2 and Formula E driver Daniel Abt, however, all the criticism from the outside is incomprehensible. “Honestly? I don’t understand all the excitement,” writes the German on his LinkedIn profile.
The 2026 Formula 1 season has given fans a completely different racing experience than in previous seasons. Thanks to the new features such as overtake mode, active aerodynamics and boost, there are now more overtaking maneuvers again.
The topic of energy management in particular has led to more position changes and duels – but also to criticism. Many fans are of the opinion that the maneuvers are fake because a driver with an empty battery is defenceless and the duels are artificially prolonged by a yo-yo effect.
But Abt takes the constant nagging too far: “Isn’t this the result of what we’ve been asking for in recent years?” he says. “Everyone wanted more overtaking maneuvers, more variability and less DRS. Now there are new regulations that force exactly that. And instead of being happy about it, we’re falling into the same trap again – and suddenly it’s not right again.”
For him, it is typical that after a major change comes immediate outrage: “We want change, but we don’t really want anything to change either,” says Abt.
He says: “Formula 1 has never been a ‘fair’ sport. The competition has always consisted of teams interpreting the rules better than everyone else.” Abt continues: “And even if Mercedes has a dominant car at the moment, that’s nothing that hasn’t happened before. That’s just part of the sport.”
He personally finds the Formula 1 races “much more open and entertaining compared to the past”, as he emphasizes.
Abt can now watch the races on TV in peace, as he declared his own driving career over in 2020. Following his championship title in the ADAC Formula Masters, the 33-year-old was runner-up in the German Formula 3 Championship and the GP3 series.
After two years in the GP2 series, the predecessor to Formula 2, he drove in Formula E for six years, where he won two races for Audi, including his German home race in Berlin.
