Martin Brundle has not exactly soothed the nerves of the Formula 1 paddock heading into Montreal. With the forecast for the 2026 Canadian Grand Prix turning, the Sky F1 lead commentator has used his platform to give voice to what he says is being whispered up and down the pit lane: nobody knows what these cars will do when the heavens open.
Speaking on Sky Sports F1, Brundle was emphatic about the mood among the drivers.
"The drivers are all a little bit scared of just what these cars are going to be like in the rain," he said.
His reasoning cut to the structural reality of the new rules. The 2026 generation of cars combines a more powerful electrified power unit with a deliberately reduced aerodynamic platform, and that mix has not yet been stress-tested on a wet competitive Sunday.
"They have got so much power and less downforce, less grip, and they don't know yet," Brundle warned.
Four rounds have gone by since the 2026 season opened in Australia, and the weather across China, Japan and Miami stayed dry enough to keep the most exposed question of the new formula unanswered. Brundle's point is that wet practice running, of which there has been a tiny amount, does not equate to drivers genuinely racing each other in the rain.
"Nobody really had that opportunity to push them in a competitive situation, so we could see, could see some drama," he added.
Montreal is unusually unforgiving for a first wet race in a new generation of car. The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve runs along a narrow island strip, with concrete walls planted within feet of the racing line. The Wall of Champions — the run-off-less final chicane that has caught Damon Hill, Michael Schumacher, Jacques Villeneuve and Jenson Button — is the most famous trap, but the kink onto the back straight and the exit of Turn 7 have also produced costly wet shunts in less powerful generations of car.
The forecast only sharpens the point. Saturday's Sprint and Sprint qualifying programme is currently pegged at around a 40% probability of drizzle, while Sunday morning is sitting closer to a 50% chance of rain. Track temperatures will fall sharply into the evening, with overnight lows down towards 4 degrees Celsius forecast for parts of the weekend — a recipe for greasy sectors first thing in the morning even if the rain never properly arrives.
There is a structural issue layered on top of the weather. With Canada hosting its first ever Sprint format, Friday's lone hour of practice is the only window in which teams can sample the new cars before being thrown into competitive running. If that hour is dry but the Sprint or qualifying are wet, drivers will be effectively entering qualifying conditions blind.
Which brings the question back to power. Brundle's central point is that the 2026 cars have more energy to deploy than the previous generation, but less downforce to plant that energy onto the road. In the dry that is uncomfortable enough — in the wet, on cold tyres, with concrete walls steering the consequences, it could be punishing.
Drama is exactly what F1 has been craving in its new formula. Brundle's warning is that in Montreal it may arrive faster, and more painfully, than anyone wants.
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*Originally published on [News Formula One](https://newsformula.one/article/brundle-drivers-scared-wet-2026-cars-canadian-gp-montreal). Visit for full coverage.*
