"Cool noises and playful": Driver demands for F1 cars outlined

Liam Lawson says Formula 1 drivers want to have “playful” cars that they can enjoy racing and welcomes tweaks to the power unit for 2027.

The FIA already made moves ahead of the last race in Miami with refinements to energy deployment, and it has subsequently been agreed in principle to reduce the electrical input next season.

Longer term, the intention is to return to V8 power no later than 2031.

Drivers have played a key role in making the changes happen, with a small group engaging in virtual meetings with the FIA, and Liam Lawson is fully behind that development.

“To be simple, from a driver's side, we want to get in the car, we want to drive as fast as we can,” said the Racing Bulls driver.

“We want a car that's playful to drive, and you can push hard, and it makes cool noises.

“And that's obviously what we love, that's what I grew up watching F1, and that's the sort of era that it was it was in.

“We want the fastest cars in the world, and I think the other thing is this potential for these cars to be faster.

“Last year they were extremely fast, obviously, but even last year there were big limitations with the car, it was very low, very stiff, wasn't nice actually to drive sometimes.

“But we just want the best regulations, the fastest cars. What exactly that looks like, it's probably not for me to say, but that's what we want.”

Drivers have had a stronger voice in regulation talks

Lawson conceded that the drivers having a stronger voice on the direction of the rules has been a positive.

“It's something you need to have,” he said when asked by Crash.net about the contribution from the drivers.

“A sport where the drivers that are driving the car enjoy what they're racing, and love the sport, and love what they're racing.

“It's great that at least we're sort of being heard. But I think we have to be as well, because you can't have a series where people don't want to be racing, or don't want to be racing the cars or not enjoying them as much with something like that.”

Asked if he enjoyed racing the 2026 cars, he initially hesitated before answering.

“I know how lucky I am to be an F1 driver, honestly,” he said.

“And when I think about where F1 is this year, as much as there's many things that I'm frustrated by, and we're all frustrated by, I know what it took to get here – and I know that I'm very, very lucky.”

He indicated that the upcoming Monaco GP should be a race that drivers can enjoy more than other events.

"I really hope so,” he said. “It's a track that we should be able to push and not worry about any energy, and that's what we want to do. So the cars are more playful, and they can be more enjoyable on that sort of circuit.

“They have a lot less downforce, which isn't as nice, but on a track like Monaco, it's a shame that fits the picture in theory, not everything else, but at least for that weekend hopefully we enjoy it.”

Regarding the complexity of the 2026 cars and their power units Lawson admitted that his team is still learning.

“All the time,” he said. “We sit down every weekend and go through stuff from previous races, and the learnings this year have been quite substantial. And we're still this weekend learning more from Miami.

“It's a constant. It's a very interesting year for all of us, for us driving the cars, for the teams, for everybody working on things. There's a lot – it's so complicated.”

He added: “In previous years, you come to a race track and it's all about setup on the car, downforce levels, what are we running, where are we running the car ride height wise and suspension wise?

“And this year it's so much more about power unit. When are we deploying, when are we charging, what can we do gear usage wise to help manage more energy? Because there's so much more lap time there, and a lot less time is spent on the actual car.”