McLaren drivers slam 2026 F1 power‑unit rules after Belgian GP

Oscar Piastri, McLaren’s Australian driver, criticised the 2026 Formula 1 power‑unit regulations after the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa‑Francorchamps. He said the reliance on computer‑controlled energy deployment makes qualifying grids “decided by computers behaving or misbehaving” and described the system as “a pretty crap way of going racing”. Piastri finished fifth despite the issue, noting a loss of down‑force and erratic battery management caused by the new Mercedes‑supplied PU.

Team principal Andrea Stella confirmed that the PU’s self‑learning algorithm can mis‑calibrate lap‑by‑lap, leaving drivers without sufficient battery for long straights. Lando Norris echoed the criticism, saying drivers have “way too many things out of their control” and that the power unit’s behaviour affected his qualifying and race performance. Norris finished sixth after a prolonged pit‑stop problem.

The controversy follows a contact incident with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, which stewards ruled as non‑deliberate and left Leclerc’s second‑place finish unchanged. Both drivers and other competitors, including George Russell, have complained about the new hybrid power units' reliability and straight‑line speed.