While the F1 drivers enjoy their well-deserved holidays, work continues unabated in the F1 factories. Not only are the teams looking at development for next year, they are also looking ahead to 2026. Then a major rule change is expected. FIA CEO Nikolas Tombazis has revealed a lot of details about the 2026 F1 car.
Tombazis has the position Single Seater Director and is therefore concerned with all single-seater racing classes of the FIA. He addressed a delegation of Formula 1 journalists about the 2026 F1 car. Last year, the FIA already presented the plan about the engines. This stated, among other things, that the hybrid V6s will remain and that half of the power must come from an electric source.
What will change to the F1 car in 2026?
Just about everything on the chassis is modified. Tombazis says the wheelbase will probably be 3.4 meters, compared to 3.6 meters now. The plans have not yet been finalized, he says, but things are moving in this direction. In addition, the F1 car will become ten centimeters narrower: from two meters to 1.9 meters. Partly due to washing the F1 cars too hot, the weight is also reduced.
Now an F1 car must weigh at least 798 kilos. By 2026, this number should be approximately 40 to 50 kilos less. This means that the F1 car in 2026 will be approximately the same weight as in 2021. How does the FIA want to achieve this? The 'nimble car' concept. 'We think that the cars have become too big in recent years. We're going on a diet, let's put it that way,” Tombazis says.
How is the F1 car going to lose so much weight?
The diet includes a smaller car, but also smaller wheels (16-inch rims instead of 18 inches). The most important factor must be less downforce. “Less downforce means that the force acting on parts such as the suspension will be less, meaning the teams will need less weight for those parts,” Tombazis explains.
The FIA CEO understands that eating egg cakes for a few weeks is not enough to lose 50 kilos. “It will still be a challenge for the teams to reach the weight. We want to stick to that and not increase the limit again. The teams just have to push hard to reach the target weight,” says Tombazis. In other words: just figure it out.
Active aero and a different kind of DRS in 2026
The aerodynamics of the car will also receive an upgrade. The aim is to have cars produce less downforce in corners, but also to produce less air resistance on the straights. Active aerodynamics will play a role in this. Tombazis doesn't know exactly what that will look like.
Ross Brawn previously came up with a plan to use active components to slow down the race leader. This isn't going to happen for a while. “That wouldn't work,” Tombazis thinks. Maybe the new active aero has something to do with the DRS. This will be adapted for the 2026 F1 car.
Fewer DRS overtaking actions on the straights
'There will be an equivalent of today's DRS, which will require the car that follows to get into a position to attack. Whether that will have to do with aerodynamics on the straights, aerodynamics in the corners or something via the engine, we still have to decide on the basis of simulations,” says the FIA CEO. Tombazis confirms that the FIA wants to get rid of DRS overtaking actions on straights.
'What we don't want is cars that only overtake on the straights. We want cars that meet each other when braking. [Ze moeten, red.] sit close together so that they [de coureurs, red.] have to use their skills to pass each other. We believe the new aerodynamic concept will improve close-quarters racing,” said Tombazis.
Formula 1 is getting slower
F1 is often described as 'the pinnacle of motorsport'. A terrible term, but as king you would say that there are the fastest cars in the world. The FIA doesn't care much about that. Speed is “not a big factor,” Tombazis says. According to the first calculations, the cars of today and 2026 are close together.
'Not more than a few seconds, but even if it [de nieuwe regels, red.] would result in five seconds slower cars, then we wouldn't mind that very much,” said Tombazis. According to him, the cars will look different, but you will still recognize them as F1 cars. He has no doubts about that.
#cars #smaller #slower #kind #DRS