F1MATHS: What does the telemetry reveal about the 2026 F1 car?
The comparison between Kimi Antonelli’s 2026 Miami Grand Prix pole lap (1:27.798) and Max Verstappen’s 2025 pole lap (1:26.204) offers one of the clearest early illustrations of how the all‑new 2026 Formula One regulations have reshaped car behaviour.
The telemetry traces — speed, delta, throttle and gear — show consistent, quantifiable differences between the final generation of the 2022–25 cars and the first iteration of the 2026 machines.
The first major distinction appears immediately at the start of the lap. The 2026 car begins its qualifying run at a noticeably lower initial speed, a direct consequence of the new hybrid energy rules.
Drivers now start the lap with a reduced deployment level in order to preserve energy for the remainder of the lap, and the speed trace confirms this: Antonelli’s line sits clearly below Verstappen’s through the opening metres.
This behaviour reflects a strategic compromise built into the new regulations, where energy management is no longer a marginal gain but a defining element of lap‑time optimisation. The reduced launch speed is therefore not a performance flaw but a deliberate choice shaped by the hybrid system’s constraints, which you can explore further through the concept of energy deployment.
The differences become even more pronounced in the high‑speed corners. Throughout the fast sections of the Miami lap, Antonelli’s 2026 car carries visibly less speed than Verstappen’s 2025 Red Bull. This is partly due to the reduction in aerodynamic load for 2026, which lowers cornering capability across the board.
The speed trace shows several points where the 2026 car is multiple kilometres per hour slower in sustained high‑speed bends, and the delta graph rises accordingly. However, the reduced cornering speed is not solely aerodynamic; it also reflects another layer of energy preservation.
The 2026 power unit architecture encourages drivers to avoid unnecessary high‑load phases early in the lap, which would otherwise compromise deployment later on. This dual limitation — less downforce and more restrictive energy usage — defines the new generation’s behaviour in fast corners and is closely tied to downforce reduction.
The contrast shifts again on the longer full‑throttle sections. In the initial phase of acceleration out of slow and medium‑speed corners, the 2026 car often matches or even exceeds the 2025 car’s rate of acceleration. The throttle trace shows Antonelli reaching full throttle earlier in several exits, and the speed graph confirms that the 2026 car gains speed rapidly in the first half of the straights.
This reflects the improved low‑speed torque characteristics of the new hybrid system and the reduced drag philosophy of the 2026 regulations. For a brief moment, the 2026 car appears more efficient and more responsive.
However, this advantage fades dramatically in the second half of each straight. The telemetry shows a consistent pattern: Antonelli’s speed curve begins to flatten well before Verstappen’s, and the delta graph climbs sharply as the straight progresses. This is the clearest evidence of the 2026 energy limitation.
The hybrid system cannot sustain full deployment for the entire length of Miami’s straights, and once the energy buffer is depleted, the car relies almost entirely on the internal combustion engine.
The result is a visible loss of speed relative to the 2025 benchmark, and the top‑speed deficit at the end of the lap confirms that the 2026 car finishes the run with significantly less available energy. This phenomenon is central to understanding deployment drop‑off in the new era.
The final sector reinforces this pattern. By the time Antonelli reaches the closing corners, the 2026 car has exhausted its available deployment window, and the speed trace shows a clear reduction in terminal velocity compared to Verstappen’s 2025 lap. The lap ends with a lower top speed, a direct consequence of the hybrid system’s inability to sustain maximum output across the full lap distance.
Taken together, the telemetry paints a coherent picture of the 2026 regulations in action. The new cars begin the lap with reduced speed to conserve energy, carry less velocity through high‑speed corners due to lower downforce and strategic energy preservation, accelerate strongly in the early phases of straights thanks to improved torque and reduced drag, and then lose substantial speed in the latter half of those straights as deployment runs out. The final top‑speed deficit is the natural endpoint of this energy‑limited architecture.
This comparison between Antonelli and Verstappen therefore serves as an early technical snapshot of the 2026 era. It demonstrates how the new rules have shifted the balance between aerodynamics, hybrid deployment and driver strategy, and it highlights the fundamental trade‑offs that teams and drivers must now manage on every qualifying lap.
