What the 2026 Regulations Mean for Formula 1

By Mungo Campbell

Introduction

Every few years the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile, the governing body of F1, introduces new regulations to update the design of the cars. This is done to improve safety, address current problems in F1, or to increase the entertainment in. Probably the most famous piece of safety regulation was the halo. The halo is a protective structure above the cockpit that protects the drivers from debris. This was initially met with controversy; critics claimed it was ruining the purity of the sport, (being an open cockpit series) and just ugly. Despite the criticism the halo has been accepted into the world of F1 because it has saved multiple driver’s lives. 

The 2026 regulations

This article will focus on only the most impactful aspects of the 2026 regulations which include:

• 30kg weight reduction (now 768kg)

• Slimmer cars; The wheelbase has been reduced by 20 cm to 3.4m, while the width has been cut by 10cm to 1.9m.

• The role of the battery in the hybrid engine has been increased. Now the battery will produce half of the power

• All of the fuel will be sustainable 

• Drs will be taken off the car and replaced with active aero

The FIA’S flawed sustainability goals

Let’s start with the pledge to be more sustainable. The role of the combustion engine is going to play less of a role in the new f1 regulations. This is because the MGU-K is completely replacing the MGU-H. The MGU-H and MGU-K are the electrical motors that make up the hybrid half of the power unit. The MGU-K is much more powerful than the MGU-H, “producing almost triple the amount of electrical power produced by the current hybrid components”. This may sound like a good idea when you take it for face value; afterall oil and fossil fuels are destroying the earth. However many fans have argued that the hybrid era of f1 has produced boring races with obese cars. Afterall batteries are heavy and the cars are as heavy as they ever have been. The main criticisms of the hybrid era in f1 are as follows: the sound (fans love the sound of a roaring v10, some fans have compared the sound of the current hybrid v6 to a vacuum cleaner). Hybrid power units make the car large and heavy, making overtaking harder and battles more boring. Complexity and cost of new hybrid power units give established, richer teams a clear advantage over midfield and back row teams; because of the strict regulations on power units as well as the complexity and cost, less competitive teams have fallen behind in development, making for less competitive racing. However the next part really shows why the FIA have gone with hybrids. Remember how I said the fuel would be sustainable after 2026?

Well here’s a graph showing all of the co2 emissions that f1 produces

As you can see power unit emissions only account for 0.7% of emissions in f1. That’s not even one present! The rest of formula 1’s emissions (99.3% of total emissions) are caused mostly by logistics, factories and development, and luxuries such as business travel and event operations. This clearly shows why the FIA cares so much about the 0.7% of emissions that power units cause. It’s the most visible part of f1’s emissions. By focusing on the lowest contributor to emissions the FIA can claim they care about sustainability while doing nish to reduce emissions. This keeps them off the hook when it comes to criticism about emissions. But keep in mind guys we can’t mess with the saudi’s business travel and their luxuries at the race it’s the power unit that’s the problem. I personally like some of the strategies that come with managing ers (electrical power) however I would still like to see the return of the legendary v10. 

Weight, size, and drag

Now a little less criticism. The weight and size of the cars are being reduced. It comes in the form of a 30kg weight reduction and a wheelbase reduction by 20 cm to 3.4m, and a width reduction by 10cm to 1.9m. This is all a pretty good step in the right direction as I believe f1 should get back to its roots with smaller and lighter cars and try to maintain a balance of having extremely advanced cars (it is the pinnacle of motorsports after all) only a 30kg weight reduction feels like nothing. The cars will still weigh in at almost 770kg. For reference this image puts into context a lot of the concerns about weight. Combine this with the influx of street circuits (which are often tighter than traditional tracks) and you can get some very stale races. 

Take into consideration the weight of the Mclaren mp4/4. One of the most legendary formula one cars that had some of the most legendary drivers sit behind its wheel. This is the car responsible for the 1990s mythical Prost vs Senna rivalry. This car weighed only 540kg, nearly 30% lighter than the 2026 car (228 kg lighter).

“It’s only 30 kilos [less] so it is going in the right direction but it’s still heavy,” said Lewis Hamilton while talking before the canadian gp. “I’ve spoken to some drivers who’ve driven it on the simulator, I haven’t, but they said it’s pretty slow”. This highlights the direction the FIA needs to take with the car regulations. The cars need to be light and small to provide door to door racing and more entertaining battles. The 2026 car will be significantly more aerodynamic. Combine this with the weight reduction and the cars will be going much faster in a straight line (at least). The cornering speed is still under skepticism because of the new 50/50 hybrid and engine rules. However the cars will have a better straight line speed than their predecessors, this speed will translate to more power generated from braking. This leads us to overtaking supports and the replacement of drs. 

The manual override and active aero

The next part of the regulations has to do with drs and active aero and overtaking. Currently drs (drag reduction system) is used to assist overtakes on straights, however this comes with the caveat that you must be within one second of the driver in front to activate drs. This is being replaced in the 2026 regulations by active aero as well as the manual override button. The active aero will not only include the rear wing (like drs) but also the front wing. This active aero will always be available at the push of a button in the form of two modes: x mode and z mode. Every driver will always have z mode available and will be higher downforce aerodynamic setup teams choose to gain time in the corners and get more grip. X mode is more akin to drs in that it is the lower downforce mode and can only be used on streights. However the key difference is that this will always be available to drivers on the straights, not only if they are  <1 second behind another driver. Not to mention the front wing will contribute the active aero and will also switch to a low downforce low drag mode on the straights. This is because the 2026 car will have significantly less drag compared to the current cars. The moving front wing will be to balance the extremely low drag created by the rear wing on the straights. If this were not the case and there was an imbalance between wings on a straight it would lead to chronic oversteer and possibly a spin out due to the much weaker rear wheels. On a straight, if an overtaking car leaves the draft of the defending car; because of the sudden down force on the front wing and the extremely efficient rear wing, the attacking car could spin out and crash. The rear wing is more technically comprehensive and has more moving parts, creating less drag compared to drs. You might ask: “what will replace drs?” now that drivers will be able to use x mode on the straights whenever they want this could lead to the fastest drivers/cars taking off and leaving the midfield teams in the dust, providing no interesting battles. Well that’s where hybrid and manual override comes into play. The thing to understand is that active aero and manual override are one and the same in the eyes of the FIA when deciding how overtakes should work from 2026 onwards. But first, what is manual override? Manual override is a function that keeps energy output from the MGU-K from tapering off after 340 km/h. Normally the MGU-K deployment will taper off after 340 km/h, however the manual override button when used will keep this from happening and keep power at its maximum until around 350 km/h, where it will begin to taper off. However to do this drivers will need to be in the same position as was with drs, behind a defending driver on the straights within a certain period of time. The manual override and active aero are envisioned to be used in tandem; the much more aero efficient cars will generate more electricity in braking zones because of their higher speed. Although an attacking and defending driver will be able to use x or z mode as they see fit (on a straight) this battle will have an impact on the battery levels of both cars. The idea is that an attacking driver will try to drain the defending car’s battery (as they do today). Once one is straight and with a battery advantage the attacking car will be able to use the manual override button to make a pass. Managing this battery and judging others is clearly going to be an incredibly important skill moving into the 2026 regulations and beyond.

What this means for the teams

There will be 11 teams heading into the 2026 season, what will these regulations mean for them? Every team has its strengths and weaknesses, the 2026 poses a challenge for each team as well as an opportunity to grow so I will briefly talk about each team and what the new regulations might mean for them.

• Alpine 

Alpine has been experimenting in the driver department by bringing on Jack Doohan, this signifies a restructuring in the team and potentially a new start for alpine in 2026. Alpine isn’t known for its competitive/ reliable cars; they are currently on the back foot but who knows maybe they’ll somehow create the fastest car with the new regulations. With many midfield to back marker teams it’s a gamble.

• Aston martin

Aston Martin looks very good going into the 2026 regulations. They not only have the money from LawrenceStroll backing them but also one of the most legendary engineers. Adrean Newey was picked up by aston this season after creating some incredibly fast cars at red bull. Hopefully this new set of regulations can not only make a fast car; but also help the legendary driver Fernando Alonso find some pace as he has struggled in the previous years. I would love to see Fernando fighting for a title so hopefully Newey can make it happen.

• Ferrari 

The biggest news for Ferrari is that they signed Lewis Hamilton; I foresee the biggest problem being making a competitive car that Lewis can win in. Lewis's style is very demanding from a car; being that he loves to brake late and is very good at not locking up. Ferrari has always had more power over other teams because of their money and status in F1, so I’m sure that if there’s a rule they don’t like the FIA will listen to them. One example of this is during the 2019 season when Ferrari figured out a way to bypass the FIA fuel flow sensor. They used this to send more fuel to the engine and get more performance. However because of Ferrari’s status in F1 the matter was settled behind closed doors and no one was officially blamed for wrongdoing. 

• Haas

Even though we would all love to see Hass win I don’t see anything good coming from the Hass car in 2026. They have come off a particularly weak season in 2024, scoring only 58 points across 24 races. Haas has the smallest team on the grid consisting of only 200 people. For reference the largest teams have around 1500 people. Haas has always had trouble with funding; and with the 2026 regulations set to create the most advanced cars yet; it is sure to divide the gap between cars with good power units and those with bad ones. The one piece of good news for Haas is that they are a Ferrari customer (they use Ferrari engines). Meaning if Ferrari were to create an absolute rocket for an engine that could set up Haas nicely (assuming the rest of the car is up to par. Another piece of good news for Haas is the signing of promising rookie Oliver Bearman. If Oliver Bearman performs well at Haas and helps the team place high in the 2025 constructors championship that would mean a lot of money for developing the 2026 car. That is the only way I see Haas having a good 2026 car (other than depending on Ferrari). Other than that I only see Haas being on the back foot once again, but I would love to see Haas prove me wrong.

• Audi (currently kick Sauber)

Audi is completely taking over Kick Sauber in 2026 and has possibly the biggest competitive advantage when it comes to the new cars. Audi (while not having F1 experience) has a lot of experience in LeMans. And since they haven’t been racing for the past few years they’ve not needed to worry about upgrading the current car. They can solely focus on developing the fastest car for 2026. Add in a lot of money from an established brand and you have what could be a dominant 2026 car. But who knows maybe Audi will suffer from the mis-managment that the Kick Sauber team was plagued by.

• Mclaren 

Mclaren looks to be in a pretty good state for the upcoming regulation. They’ve just won the 2024 constructors championship. A feat which granted them 100 million dollars which can be used for developing the car. Add in the fact that the cost cap (max amount teams can spend on r&d) will likely increase to help teams develop a better car. The one way in which I see Mclaren suffering from the 2026 regulations is if Mercedes creates an absolute stinker for an engine being that Mclaren uses Mercedes engines. Mclaren already had the fastest car on the grid by the end of 2024, (although it was by very very slim margins. The best 2024 cars were very competitive) so if Mclaren doesn’t bottle this development advantage like Lando Norris likes to bottle turn 1 after securing pole position; I see Mclaren in a very comfortable position for 2026.

• Mercedes 

Mercedes was struggling heavily with their car for the past couple of years which is one of the reasons Lewis Hamilton left for Ferrari. Not to mention the team’s lackluster performance in other departments. Lewis Knew if he wanted to win an 8th driver’s championship he would have to move to a competitive team. Mercades needs to step it up with the cars as they have been a bit unwieldy and hard to manage as Hamilton put it. This could just be chalked up to the different driving styles between Hamilton and the car but it still is a far cry from the legendary w11. Mercades needs to step it up with the cars so they are not on the back foot like some other teams on this list. Although it shouldn’t be too hard, Mercedes has a lot of money. Anyways speaking of teams on that list next is:

• Visa Cashap RB

The whole existence of Visa Cashap RB is controversial. The Angry Ginger called it “sugar free red bull” on account of it being the younger brother of Red Bull Racing. Red Bull Racing has a second team in F1 to help prepare talent and see if they can make it on the senior team. This is (respectfully) nonsense. That is what lower racing leagues such as F2 and F3 are for, building drivers. Not to mention the power it gives you over the race. You get twice the votes when voting for regulation changes and have two more drivers to help you swing the race in your favor. Chritian Horner (team principal at Red Bull Racing) has claimed that they are two different teams however they have often been used in tandem to gain a competitive advantage. One example of this is Daniel Riccardo pitting for fresh tiers in order to take the fastest lap from Lando Norris even though he wouldn’t have gained the point because he was already not in a point scoring position. This solely helped Max Verstappen (a driver that is on the senior team) and in no way helped the junior team or Riccardo. Anyways the 2026 regulations will help the junior team as much as the senior team lets them. The junior team always has slower cars so it will be up to the discretion of the senior team.

• Red Bull Racing

Anyways enough with my rant about the junior team. Red Bull Racing is set to go from using Honda’s engines to Ford’s engines in 2026. Honda has provided engines for the team during Verstappen’s most dominant years in the sport, while driving Newey’s best cars so it will be hard to live up to the previous engine supplier. Red Bull have pretty good aero on their cars so a lot of their hopes rest on Ford for the 2026 car. That being said Red Bull have had a habit of not listening to their second driver if Verstappen is doing well. For the development of the 2026 car this cannot happen. In Spain 2023 Red Bull implemented a ventilation upgrade which turned out to be a downgrade. Then driver Sergio Perez voiced his concerns about the upgrade but wasn’t listened to because of Verstappen’s dominating performance. In the end Red Bull lost a lot of development time because of this. If Red Bull wants to get as much as they can from their 2026 car they will need to stop acting like a one man show and act like a team. Several experienced Red Bull engineers, mechanics, and designers have left the team. The most notable being Adrian Newey. Red Bull will need to have everyone up to scratch to succeed in 2026. And Newey’s team set a high bar for them to beat with the RB18 and RB19.

• Williams 

Williams is in the same boat as Haas. They only scored 17 points in the 2024 season and have had a rough time making competitive cars. Similar to haas potentially being saved by Oliver Bearman, Williams could be saved by Carlos Sainz depending on his performance. Carlos Sainz is the driver that lost his seat to Lewis Hamilton. A high constructors placement could mean a lot of money and fans into the team. And hey, Carlos has been on form the past year. If he can bring that to Williams that could mean good things for the team in 2026. Although they still have to depend on Mercedes for the power unit (which could be a good or bad thing) for 2026, Williams fans have a reason to hope,although it’s advised to not celebrate too early to all the Williams fans out there.

• Cadillac 

GM’s Cadillac has recently been announced as an entirely new team to enter F1. teams periodically enter and leave all together. Cadillac will join in 2026 and will be in the same boat as Audi. They have an established brand, experience at LeMans, a lot of money, and all of 2025 to solely focus on developing the 2026 car. Depending on who they put behind the wheel they could be a competitive team in 2026. It’s a gamble.

Final thoughts and conclusion

The 2026 regulations are very controversial. The only good part I can see is the weight and size reduction. The fake pledge to limit carbon emissions along with making the cars half electric will certainly make the races more boring. Although the strategy of deploying energy is interesting, it lacks the sound and soul of the v10 engine. Not to mention it adds a lot of weight to the car, making overtaking more difficult. The aero looks pretty interesting although only time will tell if it is a good substitute for drs, and if drs was really even necessary. It banks on wearing the battery of the defending car down and making a pass with a power assist but problems with this approach could appear. One of which being that almost all of these regulations bank on redesigning the power unit and putting in the MGU-K. 

This could create a big divide between the teams that have good power units and those who do not. In fact don’t take it from me; take it from the man himself, Adrian Newey: "So, it's an extra dimension. I think engine manufacturers will have learnt to an extent on the lack of preparation that the rivals to Mercedes did prior to that change [for 2014], but there has to be a chance that one manufacturer will come out well on top and it'll become a power unit-dominated regulation, at least to start with.” Newey is saying that the increase in electric power and the fact that it’s never been seen before in F1, might cause one team to get it right and completely dominate. We don’t want that, we want competitive racing.

 Anyways I say bring back the v10s, have a small battery for overtaking and an extra depth of strategy, make the cars smaller and lighter, and bring back refueling in the pit lane. All of which will provide more interesting, exciting, and strategic racing. Electricity should be a part of the car, not all of it. Bring F1 back to its roots and what people consider to be the best era in F1 1980s-2005 (not just the v10, but also small light cars). Thanks for reading!