2026 Regulations: A Guide for People Who Have Absolutely No Idea, Written by Someone Who Also Has Absolutely No Idea.

Bahrain, Pre-season testing

I’ll be honest with you: I’m not a science girl, which means I don’t understand mechanics, electronics, and definitely not aerodynamics. But in this article I’ll try to explain, as best I can, this regulation change that not even the teams fully understand yet.

First of all, the size and weight of the cars will be slightly reduced. The new F1 cars will be 1.9 metres wide (10 cm less) and will weigh 768 kg (30 kg less). This change —on paper— should make overtaking easier. But it will also significantly reduce downforce (how much the car sticks to the ground) by up to 30% and, consequently, reduce drag (no, this isn’t about drag queens, it’s the resistance the car faces when moving through the air) by up to 55%.

Aerodynamics.

As mentioned before, ground effect will be reduced, since the floors will be much simpler and, well, flatter. This will also significantly reduce dirty air and the turbulence it creates.

Active aerodynamics are also making a comeback, meaning teams will be able to “play” with aerodynamic elements throughout the lap. How will they do this? With movable wings —similar to DRS in a way, but not quite. It won’t just be the rear wing opening like we’re used to; the front wing will open too. Otherwise, the car’s balance would be completely out of whack.

Throughout the lap there will be two modes: corner mode and straight mode. Corner mode keeps the wings closed for greater aerodynamic efficiency, while straight mode —activated on certain straights defined by the FIA at each GP— opens the wings to achieve higher top speed. This allows teams not to sacrifice aero for speed on the straight (or the other way around) and also helps the power unit be used more efficiently —energy and fuel saving, a full-on win-win.

Power unit.

The main novelty is that the electric power unit will have a greater weight in overall power compared to previous years: 50%. The other half will come from the internal combustion engine.

The combustion engine will reduce fuel flow, producing less power. This might sound negative and like a performance drop, but if we consider that the energy it no longer produces will be generated by the electric motor, we also have to take into account that less fuel will be needed —which means a lighter car. On top of that, the fuel will be 100% sustainable. In short, the key to this engine is making fuel flow as efficient as possible so the smallest possible amount is used and the car carries less weight.

The MGU-H will disappear entirely, while the MGU-K will increase its energy generation capacity, even though the battery (or whatever stores the energy) will remain the same size as in previous years. Additionally, three new buttons will appear on the steering wheel: recharge mode, boost mode and overtake mode.

Recharge mode is simple: you activate it when you want to recharge the battery —duh. It doesn’t deliver full power while charging. It can be activated at any time, although obviously there’s no need to use it if it’s not necessary.

Boost mode activates maximum power at any point on the circuit. It can be used to attack or defend whenever you want. If there’s no energy, you can’t use it —pretty self-explanatory.

Overtake mode increases the rate of energy recovery and also provides an extra power boost. It can only be used when you’re less than one second behind the car ahead —just like DRS. To activate this mode, the driver must pass through a single detection point on the circuit, after which it can be used in FIA-designated zones. On tracks like Barcelona, the advantage over the car ahead is estimated to be around 30–40 km/h.

The drivers’ role will depend heavily on how they manage and deploy these different modes. In my opinion, drivers who are better at reading race situations —like Carlos Sainz— will have a clear advantage here.

Tyres.

The diameter will remain the same, but the width will change: the tyres will be narrower. This means less grip, since there’s less contact surface. The carbon fibre wheel covers that used to sit on top of the tyres will disappear as well, again with the aim of reducing dirty air.

Chassis.

Measures will be taken to make the chassis safer in multi-impact crashes and side impacts. This change is largely a response to accidents like Zhou Guanyu’s at the 2022 British GP in Silverstone. More lights will also be added to the rear of the car and to the mirrors.

In recent days there’s been a lot of speculation about who might have cracked the code. Mercedes currently look like favourites thanks to their power unit. Aston Martin, despite not running much, have presented a… let’s say peculiar design. But if it’s been done by Adrian Newey, it’s probably right. Williams have the advantage of the Mercedes engine, but they didn’t even show up to the Barcelona shakedown. And for Mclaren and Red Bull… I guess that´s a mystery note even the Scooby Doo squad could resolve.

For me, it’s clear that all these changes are going to mean a massive shift in the sport —not just for fans or engineers. Drivers will have to completely rethink how they drive, and whoever doesn’t adapt… well, they’re in serious trouble.

Written by Jimena Díez.