2026 Aerodynamic & Chassis Regulations

[CaribouBread]

... Aiming for 50kg but only expecting 20kg despite reducing the dimensions of the car ....

They're aiming 50kg, expecting 20kg, the regs will demand 10 kgs, the team will bargain it down to 8 few months before the season starts

[AR3-GP]

The new regulations seem more like last minute desperation...

the problem of course will be that as usual, 1 or 2 teams steal a march on the competition with such a dramatic change in the rules.

[AR3-GP]

Rumors that cars will be 6 to 8 seconds slower than currently. I think this is one of the keys to better racing and less dirty air.

The Le Mans hypercars race very well together and Le Mans was a great race even though they are a lot slower than F1.

[Martin Keene]

Rumors that cars will be 6 to 8 seconds slower than currently. I think this is one of the keys to better racing and less dirty air.

The Le Mans hypercars race very well together and Le Mans was a great race even though they are a lot slower than F1.

I don't care how fast they are against the stop watch if the racing is good. A Moto GP bike is 30 seconds slower around Barcelona than an F1 car, nobody would try and claim they are boring.

[scuderiabrandon]

Rumors that cars will be 6 to 8 seconds slower than currently. I think this is one of the keys to better racing and less dirty air.

The Le Mans hypercars race very well together and Le Mans was a great race even though they are a lot slower than F1.

I don't care how fast they are against the stop watch if the racing is good. A Moto GP bike is 30 seconds slower around Barcelona than an F1 car, nobody would try and claim they are boring.

ho much slower are F2 cars currently? Is there a change F2 or SF cars will be faster than the next gen F1 cars?

[AR3-GP]

Rumors that cars will be 6 to 8 seconds slower than currently. I think this is one of the keys to better racing and less dirty air.

The Le Mans hypercars race very well together and Le Mans was a great race even though they are a lot slower than F1.

I don't care how fast they are against the stop watch if the racing is good. A Moto GP bike is 30 seconds slower around Barcelona than an F1 car, nobody would try and claim they are boring.

ho much slower are F2 cars currently? Is there a change F2 or SF cars will be faster than the next gen F1 cars?

They haven't thought about that yet

[cplchanb]

I don't care how fast they are against the stop watch if the racing is good. A Moto GP bike is 30 seconds slower around Barcelona than an F1 car, nobody would try and claim they are boring.

ho much slower are F2 cars currently? Is there a change F2 or SF cars will be faster than the next gen F1 cars?

They haven't thought about that yet

so 2014 all over again.... at least we wont have any phallic noses

[Giogio]

My guess as to what the mystery that pat Symonds does not want to reveal is some sort of reverse drs. The closer you get to the car in front, the loss of downforce due to dirty air can be compensated for with increasing front/rear wing angle in the corners only. This would compensate the lost downforce from running closely behind in corners and not hurt on the straight if they are already using active aero on the straights.

I believe this was mentioned in the run-up to 2022 regs by Symonds or Brawn already.. but something they didn't use.

Just my expectation of what this hidden idea might be. But if this would not work please point out!

Can anyone tell more about reverse DRS?

We have some more concrete news of how the 2026 chassis will turn out. According to an AMuS article published today with translation available here the current plans are:

- Reduction in width from 200cm to 190cm

- Wheelbase shortened by at least 20cm, moving from 360cm to 340cm.

- Smaller cars and smaller wings will result in 40% less downforce

- 50kg lighter cars is the aim, with Pat Symonds believing at least 20kg reduction is realistic

- With the cost cap, it is possible that the minimum weight requirement will be abandoned

- Active aero will be used to minimize drag on the straights and compensate in laptime for the reduction in downforce and power

- A mystery possible silver bullet to improve overtaking can be included in the 2026 regs, but Pat Symonds does not want to reveal what it is yet

The good news is that overtaking should become easier without artificial aids. The engineers are planning a small concept change that was already discussed for the 2022 cars, but was then put on the back burner. Symonds doesn't want to reveal what it is yet. Just this much: It should be much easier to follow another car in the future.

Are these ideas concrete? This 40% reduction in downforce is significant and we know the PU manufacturers have already started long ago...

What mean "active aero"?
The reduce of width and the wheelbase produce a loss of drag? And so, if there is a loss of drag, there is also a decrease of downforce?

Sorry for this questions, but I want to learn more about F1 techs, specially about aerodynamic.

[Tommy Cookers]

....... Active aero will be used to minimize drag on the straights and compensate in laptime for the reduction in downforce and power .....

nonsense !
AA could 'compensate in laptime' only by maintaining DF (where useful) but (elsewhere) greatly reducing drag

ie complex AA could give a max downforce coefficient 100x (maybe 1000x) greater than min drag coefficient
at min drag the DF could be zero - and front wheel drag reduced by appropriate FW deployment


(though a 'reduction in DF' ie slower-lap car would benefit by the disproportionately increased brake-recovered energy)

[mzso]

Rumors that cars will be 6 to 8 seconds slower than currently. I think this is one of the keys to better racing and less dirty air.

The Le Mans hypercars race very well together and Le Mans was a great race even though they are a lot slower than F1.

I remember the rumors of the current cars being slower, but they aren't

[FW17]

16 inch tyres gone!!!

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/f1-s ... /10587723/

[organic]

16 inch tyres gone!!!

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/f1-s ... /10587723/

Shame. Rejected by pirelli. It should be pirelli doing what F1 wants not the other way around

[MIKEY_!]

Well there goes a chunk of the hoped-for weight reduction. I hope pirelli is right about 18s being better for thermal management than 16s. I am sceptical of that claim but I'm no expert. Less downforce and lighter cars than today should reduce the risk of overheating anyway. These gains might be offset by much narrower tires (which would also reduce drag, so may be desirable from a performance perspective).

The cars will look silly if they make the 18s too narrow though...

[FW17]

Well there goes a chunk of the hoped-for weight reduction. I hope pirelli is right about 18s being better for thermal management than 16s. I am sceptical of that claim but I'm no expert. Less downforce and lighter cars than today should reduce the risk of overheating anyway. These gains might be offset by much narrower tires (which would also reduce drag, so may be desirable from a performance perspective).

The cars will look silly if they make the 18s too narrow though...

The rear is too wide.

[mzso]

Well there goes a chunk of the hoped-for weight reduction. I hope pirelli is right about 18s being better for thermal management than 16s. I am sceptical of that claim but I'm no expert. Less downforce and lighter cars than today should reduce the risk of overheating anyway. These gains might be offset by much narrower tires (which would also reduce drag, so may be desirable from a performance perspective).

The cars will look silly if they make the 18s too narrow though...

Same old story. FIA comes up with something. But, by the time it is deployed, 2/3 of it is changed/compromized.