McLaren: Formula 1 must explain everything clearly to fans

McLaren team leader Andrea Stella has called on Formula 1 to explain the rules for the 2026 season clearly and in detail to fans, as the new rules will radically change the type of racing.

Next season will likely bring the biggest technical changes in F1 history. Cars will become smaller and lighter, and the balance between the internal combustion engine and electrical energy will approach 50/50 for the first time.

The increasing role of electric power means energy management will become an important factor in racing. Pilots will be able to both accumulate charge and use the new overtaking mode that will replace DRS. In fact, this is a push-to-go button that allows the maximum power of 350 kW to be maintained for a longer period of time, creating situations where one pilot has to attack while the other has to save energy.

This is expected to significantly change the nature of overtaking. Mercedes driver George Russell previously predicted “overtaking in the most unexpected places”, while Williams boss James Walz said the challenge would be “very different to what it is now”.

Stella echoed these thoughts and emphasized that all these processes should be explained clearly to the audience:

“It is important for fans to understand why sometimes one vehicle can overtake another so easily. For example, due to different battery charge levels. Using the power unit as a tool for tackling and overtaking will be very important and this needs to be communicated correctly.”

“Or they can tell when one car’s battery is almost fully charged and the car in front has a nearly flat battery.

“I therefore believe that understanding the powertrain as a variable for racing and overtaking will be particularly important for us to communicate effectively with our audience.”

Separately, McLaren’s president focused on active aerodynamics, which will appear on the front and rear wings. In the so-called straight mode (similar to DRS zones), the wings switch to a mode with a lower angle of attack and before turns the car automatically turns into corner mode with higher downforce.

“This should be clear to our fans and viewers: What does this mean in terms of energy consumption? If you don’t spread your wings, you’re going to waste a lot more energy,” Stella said.

“For example, what does this mean in terms of clearance? If the wings aren’t open, the vehicle is traveling much lower and suddenly you can see the bottom impacts and you can hear the pilots on the radio saying, ‘Oh, there’s a lot of bottom impacts right now.’

“So the more clearly we explain this to fans and spectators, the more interested they will be and the better we can maintain the spectacle that we have always offered in Formula 1, which is one of the reasons why the championship has grown in popularity in recent years.”