ANALYSIS: Road-relevance was priority in defining the 2026 technical rules
Formula One is set to introduce a brand-new set of technical regulation, overhauling the current power unit concept and the aerodynamics in 2026. The sport's governing body, the FIA now delivers answers to key questions regarding the major technical overhaul.
Ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix, the FIA and Formula One released the technical regulations that will define the sport from 2026 onwards.
One of the key changes is that the new cars will be 30kg lighter than current generation F1 cars which should improve efficiency and handling.
Power units will also go through a significant overhaul as the much-debated MGU-H will be ditched and the ratio between the internal combustion engine and the electrical energy will be even.
The maximum deployment of electrical energy via the MGU-K (motor generator unit - kinetic) will go from 120 kilowatts (160 hp) under the current regs to a whopping 350 kw (475 hp) -- the same power output as the motor in a Formula E car.
The complete overhaul of the power unit has prompted the sport to introduce active aerodynamics to suit the energy management requirements of new power units. The new cars will run on 100% sustainable fuel.
The FIA single-seater technical director, Nikolas Tombazis, described the purpose of the cars as to be “lighter, more powerful and more focused on driver skill”.
"There have been pioneers for motorsport for the last 120 years. We continuously embrace changes and we have to perform changes quite periodically.
"We need to improve safety that is a continuous process, we need to follow society trends for technology which is what we're trying to do, and we need to make racing always more exciting and all of these things make it necessary to change regulations on a periodic basis.
"This is why we're changing regulations for 2026. A significant part of these regulations is always thinking about the fans and the people who watch motorsport.
"We believe we made a step towards closer racing in 2022. There's also things we got wrong. We are trying to get it completely right now. We believe the racing will be much more exciting and much closer between cars.
"We expect cars to be still very challenging, for the drivers, there will be a bit less downforce on the cars.
"There will be a few more things to look after for the drivers and hopefully that, together with the closer racing, will make it a big challenge for these very intelligent and talented individuals.
"The cars will be quite a visually different car, they will be a bit smaller in dimensions we trying to make what we call a nimble car. These are cars that are smaller in all dimensions and also a bit lighter. The front wings, the tyres will be different.
Speaking of the process that led to the new regulation, Tombazis said that the governing body has been working together with the teams and drivers to come up with the best overall solution for the sport.
"There are a few people who work on them pretty full-time. We've got a technical director, we've got a lot of people specializing in key areas: safety, mechanical, suspension, aerodynamics.
"All of these people work together and we have frequent meetings, but additionally we have meetings with the stakeholders, with the teams or with the manufacturers in order to discuss them.
"We have periodic meetings with them, but we additionally ask the teams to do simulations for us both on their aerodynamics, on the simulator.
"We've had drivers drive cars on the simulator to see if certain aspects of the cars are stable and not dangerous, so all of these inputs and feedback we've had from these people and drivers and teams has been fundamental for us to create these regulations.
"It's not only the Formula 1 teams that have been involved in these rules. We've had discussions with the car manufacturers all the way to the very top of their leadership.
"It is our objective to keep Formula 1 an area of innovation, an area of relevance to the road car and for that reason when we incorporate certain technologies in Formula 1 we want to make sure they are relevant for the car manufacture.
"So there's been an input primarily on the power unit in the early stages of these discussions.
"It is very important for us as well as a sport to make sure that Formula 1 is an area of innovation and of what we call road relevance, the new power unit regulations.
"They increase electrification which is a reflection of what's happening in society, they're going towards sustainable fuels which is what has to happen in society at a much faster rate over the next decades, so we want to keep it all extremely relevant and a hub for innovation," Tombazis concluded.
