Formula 1 2026: Could the ghost of Senna race on this track?

Looking at today's Formula 1, one question comes to mind: Could a driver like Ayrton Senna create the same impact in this era? Or would the system blunt his raw, unfiltered talent?

What made Senna a legend wasn't just speed. It was his redefinition of the concept of limits. The 1988 Monaco qualifying lap is still talked about today because it wasn't just a car pushing its limits, but a human being. In today's energy-management-focused F1, putting in such a lap would often be considered a “strategic error.” Because the point is no longer to set the fastest lap, but to maintain the optimum throughout the entire race.

Then there is the pure driving side of things. Drivers of the past really had to “drive” the car. Mechanical grip, gear shifts, engine revs… Everything depended on the driver's feet and hands. This is where a forgotten art comes into play: heel-and-toe.

Heel-and-toe, the technique of downshifting while simultaneously applying throttle during braking… This wasn't just a technique; it was a rhythm. You would use the heel of your foot to throttle while using your toe to hit the brake, matching the engine revs to the gear. If you made a mistake, the rear would break loose and the car would spin. So, every downshift was a risk; but at the same time, it was a display of mastery.

Today, thanks to paddle shifters, electronic differentials, and flawless software, this risk has almost disappeared. Most of the movements a driver makes are now “smoothed out” by the system. This makes driving more stable but less full of character.

Even though the levels I raced at were lower, I had unforgettable battles. Spinning at 190 km/h and recovering, exploring the limits with a car I didn't know at all… These are the essence of a racing driver. Because a racing driver isn't afraid of crashing; they are afraid of their own mistakes. If the mistake is their own. Because we set the limits. We set the references. The braking point, the apex angle, the moment of throttle application… These start with feeling.

Now, this feeling is increasingly being pushed into the background. Today's Formula 1 is, as Max Verstappen said, practically “Formula E on steroids.” It's a harsh term, but it's all too true. Because Formula 1 is the pinnacle of motorsport. And having to “work” like a computer engineer rather than a racing driver there damages the soul of this sport.

Let's look at the old-school racers. Michael Schumacher, for example. He was a driver who pushed the rules, wasn't afraid of making mistakes, and even lived with them. When you watched him, you would wonder, “What's going to happen?” Because something could happen on every lap. Today, most of the time, everything goes exactly as planned.

Similarly, Niki Lauda… Besides understanding the machine, he would struggle with it. There was a constant war behind the wheel. Today, that war has been replaced by a balancing game: maximum performance, minimum risk.

It is precisely at this point that it becomes clearer why aggressiveness has decreased. Because in the old Formula 1, being aggressive was part of being fast. Now, it is often an obstacle to being fast.

Perhaps the biggest difference is this: In the past, drivers would “conquer” the car. Now, the system limits the driver.

And one cannot help but wonder: Would Senna's famous rain drives, those crazy attacks… be seen as “unnecessary risks” in today's Formula 1?

If so, F1 has already lost its soul; our condolences.