George Russell backs Lewis Hamilton’s take on why the 2026 F1 regulations will be good for racing

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George Russell has backed a comment made by Lewis Hamilton regarding the new Formula 1 regulations, which are set to take effect in 2026.

The FIA has introduced several changes for 2026, including cars that are smaller and lighter, with a greater emphasis on battery power. The aim is to make racing more exciting and improve the overall spectacle.

But not everyone is convinced. Max Verstappen has been vocal in his criticism, calling the new rules ‘anti-driving’ and suggesting they could harm the sport more than help it.

The Dutchman didn’t hold back, even likening the changes to playing Mario Kart rather than real racing. After Verstappen’s remarks following the Japanese Grand Prix, there were reports he might consider leaving F1 at the end of 2026.

George Russell pushes back against negative feedback on F1’s 2026 rule changes

Russell spoke recently on the BBC’s Chequered Flag podcast about the backlash against F1’s new rule changes.

The 28-year-old noted that he doesn’t share the same outlook as some of his fellow drivers, including Verstappen, who compared the new era to ‘Mario Kart’.

Russell also pointed out a ‘great point’ Hamilton made in favour of the 2026 regulations.

He said: “I definitely don’t share that at all. I’m personally really enjoying the car. The power unit and the engine are definitely different. And it just needs some fine-tuning to really optimise it.

“But it’s given an opportunity to battle harder, and back-and-forth racing. We’re here at a kart track now. And Lewis made a great point – in a kart race, you overtake one corner, he overtakes back. And they overtake again.

“And no one’s ever called that Mario Kart or yo-yo racing or whatever the terminology is. We actually call it pure racing and great racing. It’s easy to highlight things we don’t like and forget about a lot of the goodness of it.”