Feb.9 (GMM) Formula 1 drivers say the most startling aspect of the new 2026 cars is not cornering speed, but the sheer violence of their acceleration – described by some as unlike anything previously seen in the sport.
Haas driver Esteban Ocon was among the most outspoken after the shakedown running in Barcelona.
“What surprised me most is how quickly the speed builds on the straight,” Ocon said. “I never would have thought I could reach 350 kmh so fast. It’s something I’ve never felt in Formula 1 or any other car.”
Ocon recalled one lap with uneven energy deployment that produced eye-opening numbers.
“We had full deployment on the straight and I reached about 355 before the first corner in Barcelona,” he said. “The braking was completely different. The way the speed increases is insane – truly insane.
“It’s probably the fastest-accelerating F1 car of all time, with the highest instantaneous power,” he said.
Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli echoed the sentiment, even while acknowledging the limits of energy deployment.
“Obviously it doesn’t last the whole straight,” Antonelli said, “but it’s still very enjoyable to drive.”
At McLaren, world champion Lando Norris said the forward G-forces were the biggest shock when he first drove the new car.
“It feels more powerful,” Norris explained. “You have less grip, but when you’re not grip-limited and you’re in third, fourth or fifth gear, if you deploy all the battery and just let it run, you’d be hitting 380 kmh. The car could do a lot more – but the battery would be finished.”
Norris said the physical sensation caught him off guard.
“For the neck it’s not the cornering – that’s slow enough for now – but the acceleration,” he said. “The first day, the G forwards were a surprise. It felt like a real step up in acceleration and force on the body.”