In 2026, Formula 1 will undergo another change in the technical regulations, which will change not only the power plants, but also the appearance of the cars. The regulations have not yet been finalized, but Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport has managed to find out some details about what the Formula 1 cars will look like.
The main changes in 2026 are related to the transition to new power plants, in which there will no longer be an MGU-H engine generator and the power of the electrical component will increase three times compared to the current one.
The combustion engine remains virtually the same as it is now: a 1.6-liter turbo engine. The main difference will be the mandatory transition to carbon-neutral fuel.
However, as already mentioned, increasing the power of the electrical component of the power plant will lead to an increase in the weight of the vehicle, and to prevent this a number of measures will be taken. In particular, the width of the car is reduced from 200 centimeters to 190 centimeters, and the length of the wheelbase is reduced from 360 centimeters to 340 centimeters. The transmission will have 6 gears instead of 8 gears, which will also reduce weight.
The intention of the FIA engineers is to reduce the weight of the cars by 50 kg, but it is very likely that in the first year of the new technical regulations the weight will be reduced by 20 kg compared to the current one, with the reduction of the remaining 30 kg spread over a season or two. In addition, an option is being considered in which the concept of a minimum machine weight is abolished and thus weight reduction can be achieved through the natural modernization of machines.
Reducing the physical size of the cars will lead to approximately a 40% loss of downforce compared to current levels. To compensate for these losses, it is proposed to allow active aerodynamics, but this problem has not yet been definitively solved.
Calculations show that new cars in 2026 will be slightly slower than current ones. At the same time, changes are already being made to the concept to make it easier to chase rivals, which should increase overtaking opportunities.
Source: F1 News
I am Christopher Clyde, an experienced journalist and content writer with a passion for sports. I have been writing about Formula 1 news for the past five years and am currently employed as an author at athletistic.com, one of the top sports websites in the US.
