Drivers set the narrative, but it's up to fans to decide if they like F1's new racing or not

In the world of knee-jerk reactions and polarizing opinions that are often only voiced on platforms that allow a few characters to make your point, the start of the new Formula 1 season has unsurprisingly led to some heated debates.

I’m pretty sure I’ve stated before, but I’m the lucky one in this instance, as RACER gives me the platform to air my view (when I feel strongly enough to want to), and the space to explain my thinking. Many readers and other fans don’t get the same opportunity, and even drivers aren’t often provided with such luxuries.

That’s because when it comes to a driver’s opinion, they’re usually only answering a question they have been asked – dictating the topic a little rather than solely saying something that they want to. Plus, they’re doing so within a small timeframe before their press officers have to rush them off to their next commitment, such is the time-pressured nature of a race weekend.

But I’m sure I don’t need to tell you that the driver’s point of view is far more important than mine, given their knowledge of the intricacies of what they have to do behind the wheel each weekend, and the fact that it’s their lives on the line every time they jump into the car, however safe the sport may have become.

And it is the drivers who set the narrative with their views, because fans are far more likely to build their own opinions around what their favorite drivers are saying than anything else.

But that is causing quite the dilemma for fans at the moment, because we’re almost being told polar opposites from certain drivers and it becomes very hard to shape a viewpoint when that can be dismissed completely depending on what driver you listen to.

Let’s start with the most successful driver in F1’s history, Lewis Hamilton. The seven-time world champion is never going to be satisfied with a solitary podium for Ferrari, and has far greater achievements in his sights as he goes in search of more wins and an eighth world title. Those goals are still some way off given the margin to Mercedes that exists at the start of this season, but that isn’t stopping him from really enjoying aspects of what 2026 has delivered so far.

Ferrari's battles have provided plenty of entertainment so far. James Sutton/Getty Images

“We’ve got a lot of work to do to try and keep up, but I had so much fun,” Hamilton said after Sunday’s race in Shanghai. “We had a great start. I wasn’t able to keep these guys behind, but to stay in the fight is one of the most enjoyable races that I’ve had in a long, long time, if ever.

“The fact that the cars are the way they are this year, and that battle with Charles at the end was awesome. Great wheel-to-wheel battle, very fair and just what we want.

“I think there was one moment where we did touch but it was subtle, just a kiss, so it’s OK. But this is what it’s about – it’s about tough racing.”

Hamilton had been thrilling crowds in what felt like an almost race-long battle with Leclerc, as the pair went wheel-to-wheel on multiple occasions. There were late lunges on the brakes, elbows out through sweeping corners and switchback moves as they fought over the final step on the podium.

The battling didn’t to unnoticed by George Russell, either, who was stuck behind the Ferraris at the time.

“I was just waiting for the two of them to collide and somehow they didn’t,” Russell said. “It was some of the most aggressive racing I’ve seen for a while. If I wasn’t trying to win the race, I’d have been enjoying the battle, but obviously watching Kimi [Antonelli] pull away during those points it was a little bit annoying.”

Max Verstappen has had some battles of his own but he's not convinced by the new regulations. Andy Hone/Getty Images

With Leclerc saying he also enjoyed the battle and that the new cars allow some unusual overtaking spots to come into play, on top of traditional passing places and the somewhat artificial straight-line swaps. Some of the best drivers in the world, saying they’re having fun scrapping more often and being aggressive with each other, all good, right?

But then what if you’re a fan who found the racing enjoyable yourself, heard those comments so had that view reinforced, and then became aware of Max Verstappen’s position? “It's terrible,” Verstappen said of the racing in China. “If someone likes this, then you really don't know what racing is about. It's not fun at all. It's playing Mario Kart. This is not racing … Look at the racing. You are boosting past, then you run out of battery the next straight, they boost past you again. For me, it's just a joke.”

There was a lot more to Verstappen’s stance, too, but even his first comment appeared to criticize a large section of the fanbase. At this point, I will give him some benefit of doubt in that I can’t imagine he had watched the race back so soon after retiring and speaking to the media, and may not have been aware of how the Ferrari fight had played out.

But he had been involved in some close scraps himself that involved the Haas of Ollie Bearman and both Alpine drivers, and also had a number of fans on the edge of their seats.

Some will not like it, of course. No sport delivers a product that everyone is thrilled by at all times, and there will be new fans who preferred last year’s racing, older fans who remember processions and think this is far better, and every combination in between.

Ultimately, you don’t need a driver – however many titles they may have won – or a journalist like me to tell you what you should and shouldn’t like as a fan. Take onboard the opinions or disregard them completely, all that should matter is whether you want to follow the race or not, and if you enjoy yourself watching the competition that is unfolding on track.

Nobody is any less of a fan of racing because they enjoyed Sunday’s race or hated it, regardless of the polarizing viewpoints of those behind the wheel.