Formula E co-founder Alberto Longo warns "Formula 1 is making a huge mistake"

Formula 1 stands at a crossroads. With the introduction of revolutionary 2026 regulations, the sport has fundamentally altered its technical DNA—and not everyone believes it was the right move. Formula E co-founder Alberto Longo has publicly challenged F1's regulatory direction, suggesting that by embracing hybrid power units with electrical components accounting for up to 50% of total power output, the premier motorsport category is diluting its core identity and moving dangerously close to Formula E's operational philosophy.

When drivers notice the shift

The growing similarities between the two championships haven't gone unnoticed by those behind the wheel. Red Bull driver Max Verstappen infamously described the new generation of F1 cars as "Formula E on steroids" during pre-season testing—a comparison that underscored the philosophical divergence between F1's traditional emphasis on raw speed and its new reliance on sophisticated energy management systems.

Two series, two philosophies

The fundamental issue, according to Longo, is that F1 and Formula E serve entirely different purposes. Formula E was constructed from the ground up as a platform for electric innovation and sustainability, with tight street circuits in urban centers designed to showcase precision and efficiency. F1, conversely, has historically been defined by maximum velocity, aerodynamic complexity, and unrestricted power delivery—the raw spectacle of motorsport at its most extreme.

By adopting hybrid regulations, Longo argues, F1 has blurred this distinction. The series now demands the technical sophistication that Formula E engineers have refined over more than a decade, creating an awkward hybrid (pun intended) that compromises F1's identity without delivering Formula E's clarity of purpose.

The talent and technology shift

Perhaps most significantly, Longo acknowledged an inevitable consequence: F1 teams will increasingly poach Formula E expertise as the hybrid regulations mature. Engineers, drivers, and technical personnel with electrical propulsion experience are becoming invaluable assets in Formula 1—a reality that only reinforces F1's dependency on FE's accumulated knowledge.

Longo remained diplomatic, emphasizing he remains "a big fan of Formula 1," but his underlying message was unambiguous: the championship has chosen a path that damages its spectacle. As Formula E prepares its more powerful Gen4 cars for 2026-27, the question lingers—did F1's regulators make a critical miscalculation in pursuing a road Formula E has already mastered?