The first season of Netflix’s Formula 1: Drive to Survive series was released in 2019. Since then, the sport has grown exponentially in popularity. According to ESPN, just before Drive to Survive was released in 2018, an average of 554,000 Americans watched each F1 race. That number more than doubled by 2025, when each race averaged a record 1.3 million American viewers per race. Although its growth has leveled off, Formula One remains a riveting sport.
In 2026, Formula One underwent the most comprehensive overhaul of the sport’s regulations ever. The biggest change is a move toward sustainability. This year, there will be a 50/50 split between electrical and combustion power distribution. Combustion power is what everyday gasoline cars use, but the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) is shifting more power towards electrical energy to align with global sustainability goals. Other changes this year include lighter cars, active aero (a system that allows teams to change the angle of the front and rear wings with the push of a button), and a brand new team, Cadillac.
The FIA introduced these changes not only to move towards the sport’s goal of having “Net Zero” carbon emissions by 2030, but also to induce more competitive, wheel-to-wheel racing between drivers. In the inaugural race of the 2026 season in Australia, there were 120 overtakes, compared to just 45 in 2025.
On the surface, these changes have had their intended effect of increasing overtakes and making the races more exciting for fans. However, many fans and drivers have described this increase in overtaking as “artificial”.
“This is not racing. Look at the racing. You are boosting past, then you run out of battery the next straight. They boost past you again.” Four-time F1 world champion Max Verstappen said in a 2026 interview.
But when compared to the previous regulation cycle, are the new regulations really artificial? The limited overtaking during the ground effect era from 2022-2025, was marked by “dive bombs” (a type of overtake where one driver brakes extremely and drives down the inside of the other driver) to turn one of each track. Compared to the new regulations, this is more artificial. Due to the new regulation changes, drivers can now overtake one another throughout the track, instead of just into one corner. Just because the tools that the drivers now use to overtake one another come from electrical power and not combustion power, does not mean that overtakes are artificial.
These new regulations also mean that new fans won’t be as overwhelmed when watching their first races. When you begin following most sports, you’re bombarded with stats and terminology that experienced fans are all too familiar with, yet you haven’t a clue what they mean. Because of Formula One’s new regulations, new fans, old fans, teams and drivers alike are all still learning about the sport’s new aspects. Active aero, overtake mode, recharge, and the new boost button are unfamiliar to all fans. You can learn about them along with everyone else.
In a survey of Groves students, more than ⅓ of respondents said that they had watched a live F1 race before. You and your Groves peers can build friendships through watching the races and learning about the new regulations with the rest of the F1 world.
Regulation cycles are one of the many aspects that make Formula One one of the most unique sports in the world. This year, they’re bringing about changes that make the races more competitive, and presenting a great time for new fans to start following Formula One.
