🔗 Share this article

Formula 1 has unveiled the simplified vocabulary that will be used to describe the intricate details of its revolutionary 2026 regulations.

The championship is implementing what is considered the biggest regulation change in its illustrious history next season, featuring fresh chassis and power unit regulations and the compulsory introduction of 100% sustainable fuels.

The updated 1.6-litre V6 turbo hybrids, which maintain the 1.6-litre V6 configuration, boast a greatly enhanced energy storage, driving significant developments in the vehicles' aerodynamic design.

Over a race distance, pilots will carefully oversee ERS energy – including during qualifying laps – to secure the optimal lap time.

Broad surveys were carried out with a wide range of fans, including long-time followers and newcomers, to determine which terms would make things clearer of the key features of the 2026 changes.

The primary aim was to make a series of complex technical aspects of the sport as straightforward as possible for the global fanbase.

Consequently, previous placeholder terms for specific components – such as "modes labelled X and Z" for the adjustable aero – have been abandoned in favour of intuitive labels that directly explain the primary purpose of the technology.

What's the New Technology?

The FIA states that racers will have greater control to make decisions regarding energy deployment, energy recovery, and saving energy.

The upcoming changes mandate a set of functions that will be visually displayed on television graphics to enhance the viewers' comprehension of the strategic duel.

• Overtake Mode: This supersedes the current DRS. It provides a short boost of battery power deployable when a driver is less than a second the car ahead to assist with an overtaking maneuver.
• Boost Mode: This is a driver-operated battery discharge from the hybrid system that can be deployed for offensive or defensive moves. It delivers the driver maximum power at the activation of a control.

Both of these crucial modes will have to be managed carefully, as the overall battery capacity is strictly limited.

• Active Aero: Both the front and rear wings move automatically – opening on the long straight sections for low aerodynamic resistance and top speed, and sealing in the turns for peak grip.
• Battery Recharge: The system can replenish their battery with energy harvested under braking, or during throttle lift at the conclusion of a straight or in sections where only partial power is required.

What's Changing on the Cars?

The next-generation machines will be more compact and lighter relative to current models, with a wheelbase shortened by 200mm to 3,400mm, overall width reduced by 100mm – down to 1,900mm – and the minimum weight decreased by 30kg.

Total aerodynamic grip is projected to decrease by approximately fifteen to thirty percent, although teams will inevitably claw this back as they optimize their packages.

Air resistance has been slashed by 40%. The cars will feature active aerodynamics – both wings will open on the straights to improve speed and increase straightline speed and return into place for peak handling.

Pirelli tyres will retain 18-inch rims, but the tyres themselves will be reduced in width, by 25 millimetres on the front axle and 30mm at the rear.

What's Changing in the Engines?

The 2026 engines will have an near-equal balance in energy output by the internal combustion engine and the ERS, a rise from about one-fifth electric power this year.

The hybrid system is made less complex through the deletion of the complex turbo energy recovery device, the sophisticated and pricey device that generated electricity from the turbo.

All vehicles will be obliged to compete on carbon-neutral fuel, manufactured from plant-based materials or lab-created processes.