"These new regulations hurt" - Martin Brundle offers brutal assessment of new F1 rules

Driver-turned-commentator Martin Brundle has offered a brutal assessment of Formula 1's current rules, calling on the championship to "get rid" of the current rules "as soon as possible".

The current F1 regulations have come under increasing fire in recent weeks, after weekends at Silverstone and Spa-Francorchamps have seen a return of yoyo-racing and superclipping. 

A noticeable absence on the regular broadcast this weekend was the lack of live telemetry, with speeds and gears largely concealed from viewers. 

However, through the audio alone, it was evident that drivers were lifting off through several corners that would ordinarily be taken flat-out, including the fearsome Eau Rouge, in order to harvest battery energy. 

At Silverstone, this was in evidence chiefly through Maggots and Becketts, while both layouts saw a significant decrease in speed on the long straights. 

"I think we're all still struggling to understand it, to be honest," Brundle told Sky Sports F1 ahead of the race. 

"I've got a bit of a tear in my eye, because we've lost all the great corners at Silverstone and here we are at Spa with the same situation. These new regulations hurt us on the high-speed circuits."

At both Silverstone and Spa-Francorchamps, there was plenty of overtaking action, although this was largely of the yoyo variety, with overtakes coming primarily through a difference in battery usage; the positions switched back again as deployment shifted to the opposite car. 

While changes have been made to minimise this impact, and more are planned for the coming seasons, Brundle cannot wait for the rules to be a thing of the past, with a return to V8s mooted for 2030. 

"We're doing something about it for '27 and '28 and we have to get rid of this concept as soon as possible, in 2030 or 2031," he continued. 

"That aside, this is what we've got and, when I'm out on track on a Friday, wow, they look fast. And when they're side by side and ducking and diving, it looks a lot of fun to watch. But, for now, they've got to get on top of the complexities, and there are a lot of them."