The 2022 regulations brought sweeping changes, including ground-effect aerodynamics, larger wheels and tighter overall performance between teams.
While outfits such as Red Bull and McLaren adapted strongly, others — notably Mercedes — battled porpoising and inconsistent downforce, with several drivers finding the cars physically punishing.
Lewis Hamilton has been one of the most vocal critics of the current era, winning only two races since the rules came into force.
When asked by Speedcafe what he would miss about the regulation cycle, he didn’t hesitate.
“There’s not a single thing I’ll miss about these cars. Simple as that. Literally there’s nothing,” Hamilton said.
The seven-time world champion labelled the era “probably the worst one” of his career, comparing it unfavourably with previous overhauls in 2009, 2014 and 2017.
Others pointed to the physical strain caused by the ground-effect concept. Pierre Gasly said the low-rake, stiff-running cars have taken a toll.
“Obviously ground effect cars need to run as low as you can, but physically for our backs, I think we all agree that it’s been rough. It’s not sustainable over a full career,” he told Speedcafe, adding that next year’s regulations should offer some relief.
Rookie Oliver Bearman echoed those concerns, describing the pain caused by the extreme suspension stiffness needed for performance.
“They are horrible,” he told Speedcafe.
“Particularly coming from tracks like Las Vegas, Mexico, even Qatar a little bit, the stiffness that you have to run to achieve performance with these cars means that you are getting out the car and can’t sleep at night because you’re back is hurting that much.
“So I definitely won’t miss the lack of comfort of these cars. I’ve never experienced anything like that in a racing car.”
He also called porpoising “a horrible sensation and a horrible feeling when driving the car”, hopeful the next era will be more forgiving on drivers’ bodies.
But not all drivers shared the same frustrations.
Nico Hulkenberg said he enjoyed the speed and spectacle of the cars, particularly as lap records tumbled.
“To be honest, I enjoyed these cars,” he told Speedcafe.
“Obviously this year following, and therefore racing, has become a little bit too difficult and too sensitive. That was a bit of a pity.
“But over the last few years, of course they’ve been, you know, ground effects stiff.
“But, to be honest, I didn’t mind the car. I think they are very fast. They are very spectacular and dynamic, especially now in the last years, you know, breaking a lot of lap time records.”
Alex Albon highlighted the competitiveness of the era as its defining strength.
“The main thing I’m going to miss is the competitiveness,” Albon told Speedcafe.
“We just finished a qualifying session in Qatar, in Q1, where from P5 to P17 was one tenth. And that will definitely not be the case when we go racing next year.”
Liam Lawson echoed the sentiment, saying the speed of the cars will be hard to replace.
“I think the speeds… sometimes uncomfortable as they are to drive, they’re very, very fast. So that’ll be something that I think is going to be a bit of a change probably going into next year,” he told Speedcafe.
Formula 1’s next major reset arrives in 2026, with smaller, lighter cars, revised hybrid power units and active aerodynamics — including a manual override engine mode to replace DRS.
The new machinery is expected to be roughly two seconds slower per lap but is designed to promote closer, more strategic and more unpredictable racing.
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