The Guide | 2026 Regulation Changes
This article was part of a bigger article published in January, but we thought we would republish it ahead of the start of the season.
New Technology
Power Units (PU)
The new power units will be a 50-50 split between electric power and the internal combustion engine, with nearly a 300 per cent increase in electrical power. The engine itself is still the same 1.6-litre V6 turbo that has been used since 2014, but all the bits around that have changed, including the disappearance of the MGU-H.
Overtake mode
This replaces the DRS overtaking aid. A burst of extra electrical energy is available when drivers are within a second of the car in front to deploy power to assist with an overtake.
Boost mode
Driver-operated energy deployment from the energy recovery system that can be used in attack or defence. Gives the driver maximum power from the engine and battery at the push of a button.
Both these modes will have to be used with calculation, as total energy is limited. This is similar to the KERS and ERS systems used between 2009 and 2021, made up of power from the engine and battery.
Active aero
The front and rear wings adjust angles – open on the straights for low drag and speed, and closed in the corners for maximum downforce.
Recharge
Drivers can recharge their battery with energy recovered from braking, or on throttle lift at the end of the straights or in corners where only partial power is applied.
Regulation changes
Smaller cars
Cars are going back to a similar size, roughly to 2009, with the wheel base reduced by 200mm to 3,400mm, width by 100mm, down to 1,900mm, and the minimum weight reduced by 30kg. At least to start with, this will lead to a 15 to 30% reduction in downforce, thus a reduction in drag.
Active aero
The active aerodynamics, similar to DRS, which will see both the front and rear wings open on the straights to reduce drag and increase straight-line speed and click back into place for maximum cornering performance. This can be used at any time within the designated zones, so you do not have to be within a certain gap of another car.
Overtake Mode
This is the replacement for the DRS, with various zones around the circuit; however, unlike the DRS, drivers don’t need to be within a second of the car in front. The increased energy recovered under braking can be deployed creatively by drivers, while there will also be a manual override mode to provide a further power boost when within a second of the car in front (a bit like DRS as an overtaking aid).
Tyres
Tyres will retain 18-inch wheel rims, but the tyres themselves will be narrower, by 25mm at the front and 30mm at the rear. We continue with the C1 (Hardest) – C5 (Softest) compound, but the changes in other regulations could increase tyre wear; however, the makeup and overall construction of the tyres is unchanged.
The questions, however, are what the tyre degradation is like? How much do you push on an out lap? Is the tyre more susceptible to higher surface temperatures?
Fuel
Each team will run 100 per cent sustainable fuel through non-food sources or waste, as F1 continues its goal to be net-zero carbon by 2030, another area which could be a performance differentiator.
Budget
Given the changes to the regulations this season, the budget cap has been increased for the first time since 2021, when it was introduced to £159.6m. This is an increase of £57.6m from when it was first brought in, as explained above, due to the change in regulations
Qualifying
The format hasn’t changed to qualifying or sprint qualifying, but to accommodate Cadillac, a slight change to qualifying this season to Q1, Q2, SQ1 and SQ2, six cars will be knocked out in each part of qualifying to accommodate Cadillac.
Q1 remains eighteen minutes with six cars knocked out, Q2 becomes sixteen minutes and another six cars are knocked out before the top ten Q3 twelve minutes shootout for pole. For sprint qualifying times are shorter, SQ1, twelve minutes, SQ2, ten minutes and SQ3, eight minutes.
Summary
The whole regulation change will give the teams a clean slate for the first time since 2014, meaning that the sport will look and feel radically different in 2026. Under the new rules, the cars themselves will be shorter, thinner, lighter and nimbler, with the= stated aim of creating better racing.
But there will be changes in the way drivers need to drive these cars as they will need to manage power deployment, aero modes and energy recovery, which look set to become a constant, relentless task inside the cockpit. Those simpler front and rear wings will become big talking points, as they are both part of the “active aero.”