Last Updated on December 17 2025, 6:15 pm
Formula One will experience on of its biggest transitions in the 75 years of the sport in 2026. Both power units and chassis deign have been completely overhauled along with new gadgets to enable closer racing and more overtaking.
Gone is the Drag Reduction System where a car less than a second behind another in a designated zone on each circuit can open the rear wing, reduce drag and increase the speed of the car.
Whilst criticised as an artificial racing aid when introduced in 2011, DRS more than doubled the average number of overtakes in each Grand Prix from 32.4 in 2010 to 65.7. DRS was the exception to the long standing rule that F1 cars should not have driver activated moveable bodywork.
DRS out, moveable aero IN
The slot gap opening on the rear wing will disappear in 2026, although the driver will be able to control the angle of attack of both front and rear wings of their car. FOM and the FIA have issued an update on the terms which will describe the new F1 car innovations with “moveable aero” being the designated term for the front and rear wings.
The working party term for the front and rear wings referred to them as being in X-Mode or Z-Mode depending on whether the wings were open and closed. A higher angle of attack will deliver more downforce in the corners, whilst the reverse will be possible to shed drag along the straights which the statement says “enables strategic adaptability and maximises full usage of the car’s power through greater on track grip.”
Whilst the current V6 turbo hybrid is over, the powertrain remains similar in architecture but with an increase in the electrical power of just under three times as is currently available. The planned extra boost of power for the driver who is within one second of the car I front was initially called the ‘Manual Override Mode (MOM) but now it will be designated the more appropriate “overtake mode.”
This is in effect the replacement for the DRS giving a driver trailing in the turbulent air some advantage over the car in front to make a pass.
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Indycar style “Overtrake mode” IN
The FIA confirmed in the announcement that Overtake Mode is “for drivers within one second of a car in front to deploy extra power to instigate an overtake. It replaces DRS and aids on track passing, being a strategic tool to be used all in one go or spread over a lap.”
Along with the overtake mode, there remains the ability for each driver to deploy electrical power at any point they wish around the circuit. There will be three times as much power available and deploying this will be called “boost mode” from the energy recovery system which “gives the driver maximum power from the engine and battery at the push of a button, no matter where they are on track.”
Mercedes George Russell recently revealed after a simulator session which replicates the performance of the team’s 2026 car. “I think you’ll see more overtakes next year, but more overtakes in obscure locations, in locations where we’ve never seen overtakes before.
“If a driver’s at the bottom of their battery, and the one behind has more battery in a given section of the track, they can suddenly jump past them at a corner in the past where there would never be an overtake.”
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Recharge remains and “outwash” to go
As is the case for the current cars, “recharge” will remain the term for when the drievrs’ a refreshing the electrical power in their battery. First introduced in 2009 and designated KERS (kinetic energy recovery system) the recharge is achieved through braking, lifting the throttle and even through the slower speed corners.
The ground effect venter channels under the floors of the 2026 cars will be gone as will much of the ground effect aerodynamics, although the introduction of a diffuser almost twice the size of its predecessor will continue to channel air for downforce at the rear of the car.
Having set themselves the task of delivering new F1 cars which a “more nimble” and smaller, the FIA has not really addressed this matter in the new regulations. The overall length and width of the cars will be several millimetres smaller but given the whopping weight of the hybrid systems, the minimum weight limit has been reduced by just 30kg.
The movie away from ground effect together with slightly smaller front and rear wings will see around 20-30% of the downforce removed from the cars when compared to this season. However a redesign of the front wings and their endplates is designed for cancel out the dreaded “outwash” – where the air flows around the outside of the tyres and creates turbulent air – to “in wash” which should reduce the los of downforce significantly for a car following just ten metres behind.
Less drag, less weight, much less fuel
That said, the active aero should reduce some 40% of the drag the current cars experience on the straights enabling the cars to reach a theoretical top speed of 400kph according to Toto Wolff. The Pirelli tyres retain their 18 inch road relevancy diameters although the foot tyres will be 25mm narrower and the rears by 30mm.
The new V6 Turbo hybrids will no longer include the complex and expensive heat recovery system of the current generation and as a sound clip from Honda last week revealed this will improve the noise made by the 2026 cars.
These powertrains will run on fully sustainable fuels and be significantly more efficient given the maximum fuel loads will fall from 105kg to just 70kg. TJ13 recently reported that just one of the power unit manufacturers will deploy synthetically manufactured fuels, whilst the rest have turned to organic solutions.
By defining the terms for the various new components of the F1 cars, this makes reading the stewards decision simpler along with the use of language in any technical directive issued by the FIA.
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Lewis Hamilton has never recovered from the 2021 Formula One title decided in Abu Dhabi. Having racked up six driver titles in seven years following his shock move to Mercedes, the British driver has suffered his worst four seasons in Formula One.
In 2022 he failed to win a Grand Prix for the first time in his career during the calendar year although he did claim nine podiums in a badly designed Mercedes car. In 2023 the tally dropped to just six visits to the Sunday afternoon presentation although he scored in every round bar two, with a retirement in Qatar and a disqualification in Austin, Texas.
Hamilton returned to winning ways last year with two Grand Prix wins at Silverstone and Spa-Francochamps although the latter was by default when his team mate George Russell was disqualified for his car being under weight…. READ MORE
With over 30 years of experience in Formula 1 as an insider journalist, I have built trusted connections across the paddock, from race engineers and mechanics to senior team figures. At The Judge 13, I and a handful of trusted colleagues share exclusive Formula 1 news, expert analysis and behind-the-scenes stories you will not find in mainstream motorsport media.
A.J. Hunt is Senior Editor at TJ13 and a career journalist with experience in both print and digital sports media. Having trained in investigative journalism and contributed to several European sports outlets, Hunt brings rigour and polish to every article. His role is to sharpen analysis, check facts and ensure TJ13’s daily output meets the highest editorial standards.
