Sergio Perez has called for urgent action after a near-miss in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix reignited concerns over Formula 1’s 2026 power unit regulations and their impact on safety. The Cadillac driver said he narrowly avoided “a massive shunt” with Liam Lawson due to dangerous closing speeds created by the current 50/50 electrical-to-internal combustion power split.
“These differences in deployment and power across engines are too dangerous,” Perez explained. “I fear something bad is going to happen soon if we don’t make changes to the regulations.”
The 2026 regulations have been criticized not just for harming racing spectacle but also for introducing hazardous speed differentials as cars harvest and deploy energy at different rates. Incidents—such as a close call between Franco Colapinto and Ollie Bearman in Japan—have underscored the risks.
While the power split will adjust to 47/42 next year and to 60/40 for 2028, Perez says the gap between top engines (Mercedes and Red Bull Ford) and the rest remains “too dangerous.” “At the moment it feels like Mercedes and Red Bull, they have a very strong engine, and they can get you in places where the deployment is so poor and different to us. The difference in speed is too dangerous,” he added.
Perez finished 14th in Baku as Cadillac continues to chase its first points of the season, while team-mate Valtteri Bottas crashed out after another systems issue.
With mounting pressure from drivers, F1’s governing bodies face renewed calls to address these safety concerns before “something bad” happens on track.
