Vowles is sure that "overtaking will not be hindered" in 2026

Despite an all-new aerodynamic concept and a heavily-revamped engine formula in 2026, Williams team boss James Vowles is sure that "overtaking will not be hindered" next year.

Although there are still ten races to complete this season, teams have already begun their preparing for Formula 1's technical overhaul which will lead to all-new cars in 2026. However, the prospect of new regulations is not welcomed equally by all.

Since the start of the current season, most of the teams have organized simulator test sessions for their drivers to get an initial feedback of the brand-new technology which could also provide the engineers with references and benchmarks they can orientate their development work around.

Following their first runs in the simulator, several drivers were left to share negative comments regarding the new cars, including Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc, Alex Albon and Lance Stroll, with most of them claiming that the new formula could become more of a management exercise rather than pure racing.

Commenting on the situation, Williams team principal James Vowles confirmed that his drivers offered negative verdict after the first runs in the simulator, but they have quickly got used to the all-new technology.

“The first time riding the simulator with the 2026 regulation was difficult, because it radically changed the driving style. The second time there were still complaints, but everything was becoming more normal.

"From the fourth time onward, there was not much to discuss, it had simply become the norm," added Vowles.

Despite losing the 'traditional' drag reduction system, Vowles is sure that overtaking will be possible next year thanks to different power unit modes.

“I think there will be much greater differences in top speed on certain straights, thanks to how much you can play with energy and the various modes. I believe that at some point overtaking will increase and will not be hindered.”

While the discussions about the all-new 2026 technical regulation usually focus on the new power units, there will be significant changes to aerodynamic configuration of the F1 cars as well.

With the arrival of the new power units that will feature a fifty-fifty ratio between the electric components and the internal combustion engine, the sport will introduce a host of aerodynamic changes. With these tweaks, the target is to make the cars more efficient and ensure they are able to perform similar lap-times to what we see now.

The primary tool to achieve this is 'active' aerodynamics. Previously banned – or, at least, heavily proscribed – in F1, it will allow the front and rear wings to be adjusted from corners to straights: opening to configure the car for less drag in a straight line, closing into the corners to provide more aerodynamic grip.

This aerodynamic reboot also serves as an opportunity to refine existing regulations. For 2026, the focus has been on reinforcing some of the concepts introduced in 2022 to promote better racing while getting rid of others that led to the cars being very uncomfortable to drive, most notably the 'porpoising' effect.

This effect is when cars aggressively bounce up and down through the range of their suspension travel, when airflow through contoured Venturi tunnels under the car first sucks them towards the track, and then stalls when the cars ground, in a process that repeats, like a porpoise skipping across the waves.

The new regulations remove the 'ground-effect' generating tunnels and return F1 cars to having flat undersides before a step into a conventional downforce-generating diffuser beneath the rear end.