The debut of the new Formula 1 regulatory era has brought with it a wave of changes that is deeply dividing the paddock. On one hand, the on-track spectacle in Shanghai has been thrilling, with intense battles between Mercedes and Ferrari F1. On the other hand, a key issue has emerged that purists are struggling to accept: the death of the flying lap. With the introduction of mandatory “lift and coast” and extreme electric clipping, qualifying sessions have lost their sense of purity, pushing many observers to call for a radical overhaul of the modern Formula 1 weekend format.
The decline of the perfect lap and Hadjar’s criticism
The strongest criticism of the current system has come from Isack Hadjar, a young Red Bull talent, who voiced widespread frustration regarding the limited performance of the 2026 cars during Saturday sessions. “We have to admit that the races are not bad at all, but qualifying represents the lowest point of this regulation. It is frustrating to have to manage energy saving between braking and lifting off the throttle precisely when you should be pushing to the maximum. I firmly believe that a racing car should reach its top speed at the end of every straight, whereas today we find ourselves in an almost embarrassing situation in that respect,” explained the French driver in Formula 1.
These words sound like a direct accusation toward a governing body that, in its attempt to make the cars more sustainable, may have sacrificed the very essence of pure speed.
The proposal: a permanent Sprint Race to set the grid
With qualifying sessions increasingly resembling an “empty shell” of what they once were, a growing idea is to abolish the traditional format and replace it with a short race on Saturday to determine the starting grid for Sunday. “Since the spectacle of wheel-to-wheel battles is currently outweighing tradition, it would make sense to turn the Sprint Race from an occasional event into a standard feature of every race weekend. In this way, the strengths of these regulations — namely the ability to fight and overtake — would be emphasized, while the frustrating battery management required for a single lap would be pushed into the background.
The current qualifying format, already modified in terms of timing and mandatory tyre usage, could then serve only to determine the starting order for the Sprint, leaving it to the track to decide who truly deserves pole position for the Grand Prix,” technical analyses reported by PlanetF1 suggest, according to the latest Formula 1 news.
Such a move would represent a leap into the unknown, but perhaps it is the only way to prevent fan enthusiasm from fading completely in the face of a technological framework that prevents drivers from pushing at 100% for the entire duration of a timed lap.
The transition to the 2026 regulations has therefore sparked a necessary debate about whether the traditional pursuit of the “perfect lap” is still compatible with modern hybrid technology. As the sport balances sustainability with spectacle, the move toward a race-based grid system could be the definitive solution to keep the competitive spirit of Formula 1 alive for fans and drivers alike.
