Formula 1’s 2026 power unit regulations have triggered a fresh wave of discontent, with McLaren’s Oscar Piastri leading the backlash against self-learning engine systems that drivers say are taking performance outcomes entirely out of their hands.
The high-speed, "energy-starved" layout of Spa-Francorchamps laid bare the extreme limitations of the current hybrid formula.
With few opportunities to harvest energy around the Ardennes circuit, drivers were frequently forced to rely solely on their unit’s internal combustion engine, pushing roughly 540 horsepower – significantly lower output than a modern Formula 2 machine.
However, the primary frustration centered on the complex software governing the 2026 power units. McLaren team principal Andrea Stella revealed that the latter feature self-learning elements designed to anticipate energy deployment lap by lap.
However, the system is hyper-sensitive, according to Stella; minimal shifts in driver input or uncontrollable environmental factors like wind direction and track grip can radically alter power availability later in a lap.
This algorithmic volatility hit Piastri hard during qualifying, costing him crucial straight-line speed compared to teammate Lando Norris despite both running identical engine configurations. Stella noted that Mercedes’ George Russell suffered similar inexplicable time losses on the straights.
For Piastri, being at the mercy of unpredictable software was a bitter pill to swallow.
"It sucks. I can't really say it any other way than that..." the Aussie admitted when asked about being compromised by his own power unit.
‘A pretty crap way of going racing’
Piastri emphasized that the issue extends far beyond his own garage, arguing that self-learning calibrations are artificially skewing the competitive order across the entire grid.
"I certainly wouldn't have been the only person," Piastri explained. "I know George has had a lot issues with that this weekend, and maybe the last couple of weekends. And speaking to some others, it's a similar story."
©McLaren
The McLaren charger pulled no punches regarding the impact on the sport's integrity.
"So, you know, when you've got qualifying grids decided by computers behaving or misbehaving, it's a pretty crap way of going racing,” he said;
“Here it's obviously exaggerated a lot and made worse, but yeah, when you come in from a qualifying session, you look at all the corners and go, ‘I'm on par with my team-mate and yet I'm two tenths behind at the end of it’. It's not a very nice feeling."
Norris: Too much is out of the drivers' hands
Reigning world champion Lando Norris echoed his teammate's sentiment, pointing out that driver skill is frequently sidelined by digital luck.
"It's got nothing to do with you as a driver, really. Sometimes it does and we're talking about being a few metres early on the button or whatever," Norris said.
"It just makes a big difference at times, but there are certain things within your control and a lot of things, way too many things, that are out of your control.
"It's a shame that there's so many things that can dictate your own pace in qualifying. It's not down to the driver, it's just down to hoping you get lucky that the power unit does what it should do and doesn't do something silly."
©McLaren
While Norris found himself on the right side of the software lottery in Belgium, he acknowledged it has been a persistent nightmare throughout 2026.
"Honestly, it's been costing me the whole year," Norris revealed. "This is the first weekend, I think, all season that I've been competitive on the straights. It's the first time I'm probably happy.
“I've had the problem this whole season and this is the first race I've been the one that's like, ‘oh, I'm happy in the straights for once’.
“It was the first time Oscar was the one a little bit on the back foot in qualifying, but it's also not up to him. It's just down to the power units doing whatever they want."
No quick solution in sight
With planned fuel-flow and deployment tweaks unlikely to remedy the core engine calibrations, Piastri expects the nuisance to linger.
"It's all to do with just how the systems manage things. The change in fuel flow and the less deployment are not going to fix those specific issues. It has to do with how the engine is calibrated, how the engine learns, it's kind of ingrained into these engines," he concluded.
©McLaren
"Obviously it will get better as all the manufacturers understand the engines more.
“It's not just a problem for us or Mercedes, it's a problem with all the engines, speaking to some of the other drivers. But the fact that it's even a problem is pretty annoying for more than just myself."
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