F1 pundit Martin Brundle has received heavy criticism from fans online for his U-turn on the 2026 F1 regulations, after the Briton came out with harsh criticism of the new cars, saying they need to be gotten rid of. Earlier in the season, he had said that he was enjoying watching the 2026 cars, and the sport was now in a much better place thanks to them.
But Brundle shared an emotional message after the Belgian GP, saying that he was heartbroken to see iconic corners at historic tracks such as Silverstone and Spa being “lost” due to the 2026 regulations. Earlier, he had stated the opposite, claiming corners such as Copse and Eau Rouge might be “back” thanks to these cars.
After the Belgian GP, Brundle said [via Sky Sports]:
“I’ve got a bit of a tear in my eye because we’ve lost all the great corners at Silverstone, and here we are at Spa with the same situation. These new regulations hurt us on the high-speed circuits.”
“We’re doing something about it for 2027 and 2028, and we have to get rid of this concept as soon as possible in 2030 or 2031.”
F1 fans online have reacted to Brundle’s U-turn, with many heavily critical of the former driver’s complete change in opinion.
“Two face. Beginning of the year it was all about entertainment and yo-yo passing. He’s realized he was on the wrong side,” said one user.
“Amazing how he said how wonderful these cars were at the start of the season, Bumbling Brundle,” wrote another user.
“Criticism when a Brit is struggling to challenge for the championship,” claimed another user.
Here are some more reactions:
“Yet when max says the same thing brundle tells him to shut up or walk?,” pointed out another fan.
“Leave F1 or stop talking about it right Brundle?” said another user.
“Oh the f***ing irony,” said yet another fan.
The quote many F1 fans are also referring to to criticize Martin Brundle is his rebuttal against Max Verstappen‘s criticism of the regulations earlier in the season. The 67-year-old had said that the 4x world champion’s criticism was getting “boring”, and that he should “either go” and leave F1, or “stop talking about it.”
Martin Brundle says he still enjoys watching the racing action thanks to the 2026 F1 cars
Even amid his criticism, Martin Brundle still said he enjoys watching the 2026 F1 cars in action, performing overtakes. He added that he still looks forward to watching the cars on track, as they look “fast.”
“That aside, this is what we’ve got and, when I’m out on track on a Friday, wow, they look fast. And when they’re side by side and ducking and diving, it looks a lot of fun to watch,” added Brundle.
“But, for now, they’ve got to get on top of the complexities, and there are a lot of them,” he concluded.
Changes are already underway to minimize the influence of electric power in the power unit in 2027 and 2028. There have also been multiple reports claiming that the sport and the FIA are looking at trying to bring back V8 engines with refueling in 2030, with nothing certain on this yet.
Edited by Samyak Sharma