Martin Brundle explains why Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher would thrive in 2026 F1 rules

Former Formula 1 driver and Sky Sports analyst Martin Brundle believes Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher would have enjoyed racing the new regulation F1 cars.

The upcoming 2026 season welcomes a new set of regulations into the championship. Some of the changes include an almost 50:50 split between internal combustion and electric power. As a result, there will be a greater emphasis on energy management, and drivers will need to focus on where and when to deploy the harvested energy.

“If you're going to go flat out for a long time, you've got to protect things,” Brundle said during a McLaren media event. “It's always been the same whether it was Stirling [Moss] and [Juan Manuel] Fangio back in the day, or Jackie [Stewart] and Graham [Hill] and Jim [Clark].

“Back then it was dog rings, drive shafts, universal joints, gearboxes in general, engines, suspension, rose joints, clutch – we were always protecting something. Even in the fearsome ’80s turbo days, we had 220 litres [58 gallons] of fuel, so we were lifting and coasting brutally through the entire race because that was the only way to get to the end with any kind of performance or fuel left at the end.

Martin Brundle, Sky Sports F1

Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images

“I ran out going to the line once and lost third place in Adelaide because I wasn't careful enough on that. So you've always had to protect something along the way. Tyres is a good one, especially these days."

The former driver, who partnered with Schumacher at Benetton in 1992, added: “I actually think Ayrton and Michael would love these cars because they've got the capacity to use all the tools, and the people who knew how best to use the tools and get the best out of the cars [would succeed].

"I think what's happened is your universal joints and your brakes and your rose joints protection has now come to your battery, because the cars are bulletproof, aren't they, in many other respects. So I think the specific challenge has changed, but the overall challenge hasn't.”