Loading...
About this Episode
This is what: Three races into 2026, the FIA is trying to fix what it broke. Because everyone hates it.
(Ross goes on a rant in this one! Ross *never* goes on rants!)
Here’s a joke: A former IndyCar driver and a former Road & Track editor walk into a bar. When they walk out, they never want to hear the words “megajoule” or “superclipping” again.
(Okay, it’s not a joke. Gag me with a kilowatt spoon.)
F1 changed much for 2026: new car dimensions and weights; new powerplant configurations; updated aero; narrower tires; some team shake-ups and arrivals. And the racing became obnoxious.
Over the last three races, that last bit has been all anyone can talk about. Drivers and teams hate the new order as much as anyone. With that in mind, the FIA executed a rare midseason rule revamp—rule updates effective from this weekend’s Miami Grand Prix.
These updates won’t fix the series; too much is baked into how the cars have been designed and engineered. But at this point, we’ll take it.
***
This episode was produced by Sam Smith.
As always, thanks to our friends at BFGoodrich for supporting the show!
**
Who We Are + Spicy Merch:
www.ItsNotTheCar.com
**
Support It’s Not the Car:
Contribute on Patreon www.patreon.com/notthecar
**
Topic suggestions, feedback, questions? Let us know what you think!
[email protected]
**
Check out Sam's book!
**
Where to find us:
https://www.instagram.com/intcpod
https://www.instagram.com/thatsamsmith/
https://www.instagram.com/j.v.braun/
https://www.instagram.com/rossbentley/
https://rossbentley.substack.com/
https://speedsecrets.com/
**
ABOUT THE SHOW:
It’s Not the Car is a podcast about people and speed. We tell racing stories and leave out the boring parts.
Ross Bentley is a former IndyCar driver, a bestselling author, and a world-renowned performance coach. Jeff Braun is a champion race engineer. Sam Smith is an award-winning writer and a former executive editor of Road & Track magazine.
We don’t love racing for the nuts and bolts—we love it for what it asks of the meatbag at the wheel.
New episodes every other Tuesday.
No transcript available for this episode.
