F1 drivers’ WhatsApp group is exploding with ideas over 2026 regulation adjustments

Drivers mobilise ahead of key regulation talks

GPDA chairman Alexander Wurz has revealed that Formula 1 drivers are actively exchanging ideas over potential changes to the upcoming technical regulations, with their long-running WhatsApp group "exploding" with discussion.

Against that backdrop, Wurz says the drivers are far from passive observers.

A surge of ideas from the grid

"In that famous WhatsApp group, which we set up in 2015 or 2016, it's really going off now, it's exploding," Wurz said.

"I've rarely seen it so active. That group is overflowing with emotions, possible solutions, technical proposals and ideas on how to still convince everyone that the drivers should be listened to."

The surge in activity underlines how seriously the drivers are treating the current debate, particularly as discussions turn to refining the framework that will shape the next era of the sport.

Wurz was clear, however, that the confidentiality of those conversations remains intact.

"Of course, I can't share any of that - I don't. I'm not crossing the line of my role as GPDA director right now. What is discussed there stays there."

Drivers focused on the product

Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz, who serves as a director within the drivers’ trade union body, was notably vocal after Oliver Bearman’s major accident at the Japanese Grand Prix. Sainz insisted the FIA must listen carefully to driver feedback and input when reshaping the regulations.

Wurz’s assessment suggests that sentiment is widely shared across the grid.

"But the beautiful thing, and my conclusion, is: the drivers are so emotional and purely interested in the product, that politics doesn't really matter to them."

As formal discussions approach, the message from the GPDA leadership is clear: the drivers are engaged, organised and determined to ensure their voices carry weight in shaping Formula 1’s next regulatory chapter.