As we start 2026, it is the custom to make a resolution for the coming year. Whilst this is normally a personal thing, I think I have one for Formula One.
I propose to Formula One that this is the year that they cut out the trolling and the disrespect towards the drivers, that has become endemic in the sport.
One of the first things that I learned, working for a Formula One team, was to respect any driver who can get in a Formula One car and complete a Grand Prix. Yes, some will be better than others, but every driver who has the ability to do this is a driver worthy of your respect.
F1 2025 drivers lineup.
There is not a lot of respect being shown to the drivers at this time. The teams, some more than others, seem to treat drivers as fast moving consumer goods, swapping them out almost at whim. Commentators are all too ready to pile in with criticisms, deserved or not. The drivers themselves have made it very clear that they feel that they are not given sufficient respect by the stewards, who often make decisions that seem inconsistent. Worst of all, however, is the sudden proliferation of blogs and social media accounts that engage in a behaviour that can only be described as trolling and bullying.
Now, I’m not saying that drivers are above criticism and should never be called out. It seems lately, however, that there has been a perceptible shift in tone. Sometimes, when a line is crossed, the F1 community and the FiA will express outrage and say there is no place for this. Nothing seems to change.
Formula 1 commentators.
The first thing that needs to happen is for the commentators and journalists to get over the constant hand wringing about possible team orders. This largely comes from the commentators at the Grand Prix who bring it up practically from race 1. They seem to spend the first third of the season stating that it’s way too early to talk about team orders. Then the second third is spent discussing when team orders should be imposed. They then spend the final third of the season speculating whether they have been. This constant narrative undermines the drivers and gives the fans reason to mistrust the teams and the race results. All this is a hangover from previous times, in the days of Schumacher at Ferrari and Hakkinen at Mclaren, where team orders were controversially imposed. More recently, we had the Multi 21 scandal featuring Vettel and Webber. It seems that the Formula One community have yet to work out how damaging this is to the sport. What the audience, on whom they depend, wish to see, is a genuine championship fought out between the drivers, without unnecessary interference. The commentators need to stop advocating for team orders and stirring up menace.
Formula 1 drivers.
It is for the FiA to deal with the dissatisfaction expressed by the drivers with regard to the stewards; it is also very much their responsibility to offer more than outrage when lines are crossed. In fact, the line is drawn much too late. Drivers are receiving death threats. Drivers get booed on the podium. There is a nasty streak of hate-filled comment scatter gunned across the internet, with click bait headlines and nothing of substance in the articles themselves. Posts on social media have comment sections that are filled with nastiness and hatred that frankly need to be addressed by the content creators. This is something the FiA and the Formula One Management need to take the lead on. They can help this by setting a better tone. They need to draw the line much sooner than they do and make the line thick and clear.
So, it’s 2026. There is a new era in Formula One, with new regulations. It’s time for a new attitude and a new expectation of behaviour. Those in charge need to step up and lead the way.
By Clare Topic
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