Lighter and smaller cars, narrower tires and goodbye to Drs. In 2026 everything changes and driver management will be crucial
Will there finally be a Ferrari as good as Red Bull and Mc Laren with the new Formula 1 rules for 2026? This is what Ferrari fans are asking themselves as they finally hope to see a Maranello car triumph again in a grand prix after a year’s abstinence. 2025 ended with a zero in the victory box which is almost embarrassing for Maranello, from the January tests everything will be different because the regulations change and Formula 1 will be revolutionized.
The news
. The most obvious difference between the new single-seaters and those that animated the tracks of the premier motorsport category until the grand finale on 7 December is the fact that they will be smaller and lighter. The new cars will have a reduced pitch of 200 millimetres, a reduced overall width of 100 millimeters and a narrower bottom of 150 millimetres. The main reason for these changes is, clearly, to reduce the minimum weight, which will drop by 30 kilos: this will help a lot in making the single-seaters more agile and responsivemaking overtaking a lot easier.
Narrower tires
There are also new features for the tyres, even if the wheels will remain 18 inches: 25 millimeters less for the fronts, 30 millimeters less for the rears. The choice, which caused some headaches for Pirelli, is motivated by the desire to reduce the aerodynamic resistance and weight of the cars but, certainly, the grip he will suffer a lot. But the part that will be affected the most is aerodynamics: the new 2026 cars will see a significant cut in overall downforce, which is expected to drop by 15 to 30% depending on track conditions. The objective was achieved with the ban of tunnel at the bottom single-seaters that created significant ground effect but also problems, as seen with the disqualification of the McLarens in Qatar. The most important change is that relating to the abolition of the so-called DRS, the mobile wing which made it all too easy to overtake opponents on the straight. In the next season in its place there will be theActive Aerotheactive aerodynamics: the front and rear wings will remain mobile but will allow pilots to choose between high and low load configurations, alternating greater grip with greater top speed.
The pilots will count more
The engine will remain hybrid but with a distribution of 50% between thermal and electric: the real innovation will be in the electrical part, where we have chosen to simplify the architecture of the motors. The energy recovery system from the turbine’s exhaust gases, called Mgu-H, has been eliminated while the power of the system linked to braking, the Mgu-K, will have a increase in power important, going from 120 kW to 350 kW. Given the enormous impact it will have on the acceleration and top speed of the cars, manage your batteries betterchoosing well when and where to use power will be fundamental, bringing attention back to the capabilities of the pilots. If internal combustion engines will use new generation sustainable fuels, the so-called eFuelthe race strategy could be the key component. In short, the race strategy chosen by the drivers together with the team behind the wall will be increasingly predominant
