FIA announces a series of tweaks to the 2026 F1 regulations
Formula One's governing body, the FIA has announced a series of tweaks to the 2026 F1 sporting, technical and financial regulations in a bid to improve “clarity and consistency.”
The sport's governing body has announced the a raft of modifications to 2026 technical, sporting and financial rules, which, according to the FIA, will “see a higher performance from the cars, while maintaining management of the wake characteristics to promote close and exciting racing.”
The technical rules for the 2026 F1 season were originally approved in June 2024. The FIA has now confirmed that the aerodynamic regulations have been recently updated after a long collaboration between the FIA, FOM and the Formula 1 teams.
The tweaks to the technical regulations have been introduced in order to enhance "a higher performance from the cars, while maintaining management of the wake characteristics to promote close and exciting racing." It is understood that the technical update will mean that the all-new 2026 F1 cars will be two seconds faster than the ones that would have been design in accordance of the original rules.
In addition, the sporting regulations for the 2026 F1 season have also undergone a significant update "in order to simplify and modernise their structure."
The updated rules are revolved around the energy management of the heavily-updated power units as well as the management of the adjustable aerodynamics, which will involve the deployment of the “straight-line mode” (low drag) and the “cornering mode” (high downforce).
Moreover, the FIA has also confirmed that there will be three pre-season tests of three days each for the 2026 season to account for the new power units that will be adopted.
The financial regulation for the 2026 F1 season, have built on the experience gained by the FIA, Formula 1 and the teams since the first introduction of Financial Regulations in 2021.
The governing body has confirmed that "significant effort has been made to simplify the regulations by changes in the perimeter of exclusions and adjustment methodologies and to strengthen measures available to FIA to monitor compliance to the Financial Regulations. The overall level of the cost cap has remained – in effect – equivalent to the current levels, while the changes to the actual number reflect the changes to exclusion and adjustment perimeter and the effect of cumulative inflation."
