Carlos Sainz raises crucial F1 concern: 'I don’t really like what I see'

Carlos Sainz has claimed he does not like what he sees from the upcoming 2026 regulations, something that is foundational to the Spanish driver's support of V10 engines returning to F1.

The championship will introduce a new era of power unit and chassis rules next season, a considerable overhaul on the current approach, and will provisionally run until 2030.

However, there has been growing opposition to those regulations from within the F1 paddock, with a number of high profile names raising concerns with the direction of the series, especially over the power unit developments.

This led to crunch talks between the FIA, F1 and the power unit manufacturers on the Friday of the Bahrain Grand Prix weekend.

In particular, F1 reverting back to the V10 engines, used from 1996 to 2005, but with sustainable fuels has been mooted as a possible alternative to the increasingly hybrid approach of the contemporary power units.

"I wouldn’t be too vocal supporting the comeback of a V10 engine if I liked what I saw from 2026," Sainz told media including RacingNews365 before that meeting.

"But as I don’t really like what I see from 2026 in terms of what the car is going to do, the engine’s going to do, the way everything is going to work, I would say yes - I would like a V10 engine with a few tweaks to make it back sooner rather than later."

Sainz: 'A bit of a strange one'

Some had argued F1 should consider the re-introduction as early as 2027 or 2028, but following the meeting in Sakhir, that appears to be off the table for now.

However, there remains the very real possibility the championship and its key stakeholders return to the conversation in the future - after the new regulations have been given ample opportunity.

That is a direction Sainz agrees with, but the 30-year-old was quick to emphasise that the growing worry within the paddock is fuelling the flames of discontent.

"But at the same time, it's not fair to not give those regulations a bit of a chance, if everyone believes they are so good," the four-time grand prix winner added.

"But everyone seems to believe that they are not so good anymore - that’s why everyone’s talking about it again. So a bit of a strange one. 

“Let’s see where it goes. It’s not up to me. It’s politics. The big bosses will decide."