Liam Lawson has commented on his colleagues’ criticism of the 2026 Formula 1 regulations and shifted the focus to the issue of safety
According to Liam Lawson, Formula 1 drivers complain about “pretty much everything”. With these words, the Racing Bulls driver commented to Motorsport.com on the criticism of many colleagues about the current Formula 1 regulations.
Lawson emphasizes that many points of criticism are justified. “At the end of the day, there are always things we expect from a car,” said the New Zealander. “And as racing drivers, we will probably complain about virtually everything, that will never change.”
“But in terms of the rules, I think the biggest issue at the moment is safety, as we saw in Japan,” continues Lawson. The 24-year-old is alluding to the spectacular accident involving Oliver Bearman.
A misunderstanding between the Haas driver and Franco Colapinto caused the Briton to crash into the barrier with a 50 g impact. Since then, the safety risks of Formula 1 2026 have been discussed in many places.
“I think we want to avoid something like that in the future. And in terms of performance, it’s something that will obviously always evolve.”
On average, the current generation of cars are around two seconds slower in qualifying than their massive predecessors. Depending on changes to the engine regulations, this gap could increase significantly over the course of the year and from track to track. Lawson, however, focuses on the development opportunities in his statement.
“If you look at any other rules at the beginning, there has been a huge development over the five-year period that the rules have been active,” notes the former Red Bull driver.
“So I’m sure they will obviously evolve and get faster and I’m sure we’ll find ways to make the cars more enjoyable to drive.”
“I hope we can do that because I think at the moment, especially in qualifying, we’re trying to push the car to the limit and squeeze everything out in a way that feels like we can’t at the moment.”
The regulations are currently being discussed behind the scenes. The FIA and Formula 1 are currently in discussions with the teams and are expected to present news about the future of the premier class in the coming weeks.