F1 in 2026 is going to be completely different from what you may have witnessed in the past 5 years! The FIA, at the start of the 2025 F1 season had revealed new guidelines and sporting regulations for 2026. So, here’s a list on all you need to know before the cars hit the track to race on 8th March.
- Ground effect is gone. Long live the Rake
The ground effect era which was the highlight since 2022, is now no more. The FIA have outlawed the Venturi Tunnels, and therefore, the teams will revert back to the ‘rake’. Rake means the difference in front and rear ride height of a car, and F1 cars, before 2022, used positive rake. This means that once again we will get to witness F1 cars on track with raised rear ends and slammed front ends with massive diffusers sucking out the air underneath the car, creating lots of downforce. This marks a major change as the ground effect cars faced a lot of problems like porpoising and unnecessary bouncing, but now with the rake, the ride will be much smoother. This means the drivers will be much happier, and the teams will get to play around a lot more with the aerodynamic parts on the car, rather than coming up with clever designs underneath the car.
- The cars will have completely different power units!
In 2026, the power units are being completely overhauled. Although the combustion engine still remains the same – a 1.6 litre V6 engine, but what has changed is the battery and combustion engine split. Earlier, the power supplied by the combustion engine and the battery was 80/20 respectively, whereas now it is 50/50. The electrical power will have a massive impact on the car’s performance on lap-to-lap basis as well as over the complete race distance. Since all F1 cars reach the same top speed, it all comes down to which driver can charge the battery up every lap, when it comes to a battle for position. In 2026, this is going to be even more exciting to see, as drivers will have to change their driving style to include the 2026 cars handling and accommodate for recharging the very crucial car battery every lap.
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- DRS has been revamped and drivers will get full control over the wings now!
In 2026, the FIA have brought about the biggest change in the history of F1. Till date, drivers have driven cars with ground effect, fans, 4 front tires, active suspension, but never have they been given the control of the car’s wings. Well, the FIA have done just that.
The 2026 cars will feature active aero, meaning the front and rear wings on the car will both move up or down/open or closed, allowing for air to pass reducing dragor to create downforce. The drivers will be given full control of the front and rear wings around the track in designated areas.
Now imagine 22 of the best drivers in the world in the fastest cars around a track with control over the downforce generated by their cars. I am sure it is going to be very entertaining and thrilling watching the drivers racing out on track with these new toys in their hands.
- Overtake mode has replaced DRS
Overtake mode is the new DRS! But this has nothing to do with the rear wings rather it has everything to do with the battery of the car! DRS and Overtake mode hold only one similarity, which is that to be able to activate Overtake mode, the driver will have to be within 1 second of a driver ahead. Each f1 track shall feature one detection point, and if a driver is within 1 second of the car ahead, then he shall get extra electrical output, giving him extra speed and power for that lap.
The overtake mode will be available throughout that lap, and it will be upon the driver to choose to overtake or to push the car in front out of battery and overtake the next lap. Either way it means that Overtake mode is going to bring back the excitement of close call racing and drivers will be taking risks every lap to secure track positions.
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- New teams and more drivers than F1 has seen in the last decade!
11 teams, and 22 cars are already out on track in the pre-season testing, currently going on in Bahrain. After almost a decade, F1 will witness more than 10 teams out on track. And to be very honest, its going to be all the more exciting.
New cars, new teams, same drivers though; F1 fans are going to have a blast this season. Drivers like Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas are making a comeback for the newest team on the grid – Cadillac. Their car livery is really something , and if you haven’t yet checked it out, you better do it quick because you are missing out on something awesome.
Arvid Lindblad, a young Swedish-Indian driver is also making his debut in F1 at just 18 years of age! He is driving for VCARB, alongside Liam Lawson.
Now that you know all of that, I hope you’re as pumped up and excited as I am before the F1 2026 officially begins. With Mercedes figuring out an engine compression ratio loophole, Ferrari’s bold choice of using steel cylinder heads, Red Bull making their own engines, and Adrian Newey’s designing Aston Martin’s F1 car, the 2026 F1 season is probably going to be more thrilling than the 2021 F1 season.
So, wear your favourite team kit, pull out your phones, laptops, tablets, and open your favourite F1 streaming site, and soon all 22 cars will be racing across your screens and if you’re one of the lucky ones you might be watching it from the grandstands around an F1 track.
DU… DUU….. DUUUU……
And Its LIGHTS OUT AND AWAY WE GO…
