F1 | New power units spark debate after Australia: “SM? A patch on a broken engine”. After the Australian GP, drivers including Carlos Sainz criticized the new 2026 F1 power units.

After the first Grand Prix of the 2026 season in Australia, many F1 drivers shared concerns over the new power units. Carlos Sainz, in particular, openly criticized the technical regulations, sharply questioning the active aerodynamics introduced with the new era of rules.

According to the Williams driver, active aerodynamics are merely a “patch” to compensate for the power distribution issues of the new hybrid power units. These difficulties became evident during the season opener, with the Melbourne GP described by several drivers as “unreliable” and “dangerous.” Besides Carlos Sainz, Franco Colapinto, Pierre Gasly, and Lando Norris also raised concerns about the behavior of the new cars.

Sainz’s concerns about Straight Mode

Diving into specifics, Carlos Sainz highlighted how the Straight Mode—especially in the fourth activation zone at Albert Park—made the cars difficult to manage. This assessment was shared by George Russell, co-director of the GPDA.

Now, it seems the regulations will be revisited in time for the Japanese Grand Prix, with the FIA aiming to address all the issues discovered at the start of this season.

“First lap feels risky”

“My biggest concern regarding the race is the first lap,” Carlos Sainz explained when asked for his thoughts on the season opener and the new power units. “It felt very risky, with SM active for everyone on the final straight. I really felt in danger. The car became very hard to control in the slipstream and with SM. And when I was battling someone else, it was the same situation.”

“If it was just a straight, it wasn’t too bad, because it was like last year’s DRS. But when approaching a corner, and both cars use SM [like in turns 7 and 8], it becomes unsafe. I think SM is just a patch on the engine to fix the energy deployment problems we have. But definitely, first-lap starts and overtakes don’t feel very safe right now with SM active.”

Active aerodynamics are only a temporary fix

Sainz further emphasized that F1 must address all issues with the power units, reinforcing his view that active aerodynamics are only a stopgap solution.

“In my opinion, we shouldn’t need active aerodynamics for races,” continued the Williams driver. “Because when you get to circuits like this, where you’re low on energy, you end up using SM in places you shouldn’t, just to protect the distribution.”

“So, in the end, you find yourself in a dangerous situation, like what happened on the first lap and throughout the race. The problem isn’t SM. We need it. Otherwise, we’d be… you saw, we were doing lift and coast like crazy in qualifying, just like all teams.”

“If you remove SM, you can’t even race with the energy distribution we have. So in a way, we do need SM, but it’s a patch to fix an engine that, in my opinion, currently doesn’t seem to be working very well,” he concluded.

The debate over technical regulations and driver safety is only set to intensify. The upcoming weeks will be crucial as the FIA and teams work together to refine the 2026 package, ensuring that the pinnacle of motorsport remains both competitive and safe for all competitors on the grid.