With the 2026 F1 regulation change and a new Concorde Agreement in place, here’s what you need to know before teams begin pre-season testing.
The last major engine reset in Formula 1 came in 2014, while the most recent aerodynamic overhaul arrived in 2022. The 2026 season will be the first since 2014 to fundamentally change both elements of a team’s challenger at the same time.
And if that’s not enough, there’s more.
The FIA, Formula One Management, and all 11 teams have also signed the 2026 Concorde Governance Agreement, following the announcement in March 2025 that the teams and F1 had agreed terms on a new Concorde Agreement.
For fans, there has rarely been a better time to dive into the sport – but the scale of these changes can still baffle even the most seasoned spectators who have followed F1 for years.
So what better way to prepare for the new season than to get you up to speed on everything that’s coming in 2026?
2026 Concorde Agreement Explained
The 2026 Concorde Agreement is the ninth iteration of F1’s foundational contract, signed by the FIA, Formula One Management (FOM), and all 11 teams set to compete in the 2026 season.
The agreement formalises the relationship between the sport’s key stakeholders: FOM as the commercial rights holder, the FIA as the governing body of world motorsport, and the 11 F1 teams.
Each version of the Concorde Agreement outlines three core principles: the governance of F1, the distribution of revenues, and the commitment of teams to compete in the championship.
According to the FIA, the new deal will allow the governing body to invest further in improved race regulations, race direction, stewarding, and technical expertise.
Given the sensitive nature of the agreement, it is unsurprising that most of its details remain confidential. However, reporting from Motorsport.com highlights two key changes in the 2026 Concorde Agreement that will impact the series.
First, regulatory changes will now require fewer team votes. With the FIA and FOM retaining their voting rights, only six team votes – down from eight – will form a majority.
This subtly shifts the balance of power toward the regulators, providing F1 with a more stable platform to make faster decisions when necessary.
Second, the agreement restructures FIA entry fees, resulting in increased financial contributions from both FOM and the teams.
In return, the FIA is expected to reinvest this funding into more effective governance of the championship, including stewarding, marshalling, and other operational services.
FOM is also understood to support the FIA’s plans to strengthen its Formula 1 operations and additional cost involved.
How A Tighter Decision Making Process Benefits F1
In recent seasons, track limits enforcement has become one of the sport’s most visible examples of inconsistent decision-making.
At some circuits, drivers have been penalised strictly for marginal breaches, while at others similar infringements have gone largely unpunished.
The same concerns extend to wheel-to-wheel racing.
Williams driver Carlos Sainz – who previously raced for Ferrari – has voiced his concerns about the inconsistent decision-making in wheel-to-wheel racing.
The Spaniard received a 10-second time penalty and two penalty points after contact with Liam Lawson at the Dutch Grand Prix, prompting Williams to request a “Right of Review” using new camera angles unavailable to stewards at the time.
The appeal led to the removal of the two penalty points from Sainz’s Super Licence. This is crucial, since drivers will receive an automatic one-race ban when they have 12 penalty points.
Speaking to EPSN after the appeal outcome, Sainz shares:
“It’s a breakthrough because it’s the first time that I’ve managed to present new evidence and accept a hearing.
We tried before, and we never managed in other teams, so it shows that the mechanism is there and is there for a reason, which I’m finally happy that we can use that mechanism in the case where it’s black and white, like it was in my case.”
— Carlos Sainz, Williams Driver and director of the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association
With increased staffing and clearer, more consistent processes, a tighter decision-making framework under the 2026 Concorde Agreement should help address governance issues that have been under sustained pressure for several seasons.
2026 F1 Regulation Change: Key Takeaways
Compared to earlier ground-effect eras, modern F1 racing has become more predictable, prompting criticism from fans that the sport feels less dynamic.
The 2026 F1 regulation change aims to reverse that trend by improving racing while introducing a more efficient, sustainable ruleset designed to attract new manufacturers.
1. The Cars Will Look Different
Front and Rear Wing Changes
Teams will run a narrower front wing, with greater freedom to develop the outer sections to manage airflow.
At the rear, teams will use a simpler wing layout, with the beam wing removed.
Active Aerodynamics
Both front and rear wing angles will now adjust automatically based on the car’s position on track. Unlike the Drag Reduction System (DRS), this mode will be available for drivers at every lap.
In Corner Mode, the front and rear flaps remain closed for maximum downforce. In Straight Mode, the system opens the flaps to reduce drag and increase top speed at designated parts of the circuits.
Drivers can activate Straight Mode manually, but the car automatically reverts to Corner Mode when the driver brakes or lifts off the throttle.
Plus, an auto-turn-off feature for 2026 will force the car into Corner Mode at specific sections of the lap to prevent drivers from taking certain corners with the wings open.
Structural Changes
The 2026 Formula 1 cars will be smaller, lighter, and more agile than their ground-effect-era predecessors.
Teams will reduce wheelbase, width, and floor size to meet a new minimum weight of 768 kg; 30 kg lighter than current cars.
While the cars will retain 18-inch Pirelli tyres, teams will run narrower versions to cut drag and weight without sacrificing grip. The regulations also remove the small wheel arches above the front tyres.
Changes To The Floor
The ground effect era introduced complex floor designs that generated significant drag for the cars following closely behind.
For 2026, F1 will replace the long-ground effect tunnels with a flatter floor, extended diffusers, and larger openings.
Simpler floor designs also reduce outwashing — the practice of directing turbulent air around the front wheels instead of over aerodynamic surfaces — which further limits the amount of dirty air.
It results in less downforce but allow teams to run higher ride heights and explore a broader range of setups. In theory, this flexibility should suit a wider range of driving styles and make the cars easier to follow.
2. No more DRS
DRS was introduced in 2011 to combat the impact of dirty air and improve overtaking.
When a driver is within one second of the car ahead at a designated Detection Point, they can open the rear wing . This reduces drag and increases top speed on straights.
While it was meant to create a realistic overtaking opportunity when following another car closely, DRS became less effective in the ground-effect era, as the cars produced too much turbulent air for close racing.
Some fans have even called out DRS for making racing too artificial or predictable.
As a result, F1 will remove DRS in 2026. Instead, drivers will manage between three electrical modes: Boost, Overtake, and Recovery.
Boost allows drivers to deploy maximum power from the internal combustion engine and the electrical system. Drivers can activate it anywhere on the lap when enough energy is available.
Overtake replaces DRS as the primary overtaking aid. When a driver is within one second of the car ahead at a Detection Point, the system grants access to extra electrical energy.
Drivers can choose to deploy this energy in one go or in multiple bursts over a lap, but the regulations restrict its deployment to the following lap.
Recovery mode focuses on energy management. Working with their engineers, drivers adjust power settings and driving style to recharge the battery during the lap.
3. New Power Units
At its core, the 2026 cars will retain the 1.6-litre V6 turbo hybrid engine, which pairs a compact turbocharged petrol engine with an advanced hybrid system.
In previous seasons, the power unit used two energy recovery systems to generate electrical power.
The Motor Generator Unit – Kinetic (MGU-K) recovers energy under braking, while the Motor Generator Unit – Heat (MGU-H) harvests energy from exhaust heat.
From 2026, teams will no longer use the MGU-H, as it was costly, heavy, and lacked road relevance. Likewise, the new regulations will reduce the internal combustion engine’s output and triple the electric motor’s output.
It will help the new Energy Recovery System to recharge the battery with around twice as much energy per lap.
This shift creates a near 50–50 split between electrical and petrol power, making F1 power units more road-relevant and more attractive to current and new manufacturers joining the sport.
4. New Fuel
In 2026, F1 will use a new Advanced Sustainable Fuels that will have no impact on car performance.
This fuel is made from carbon capture, municipal waste and non-food biomass. It was also tested in F2 and F3 for the 2025 season.
As part of F1’s goal to emit zero carbon emissions by 2030, the fuel has been independently certified to meet strict sustainability standards.
5. More Improvements To Driver Safety
Beyond performance and racing, the 2026 F1 regulation change also allows the FIA to strengthen driver safety.
The driver survival cell will face more stringent testing, while the roll hoop has been strengthened to withstand 23% more loads.
The front impact structure has also been redesigned to separate in two stages, improving protection in crashes involving secondary impacts after the initial contact.
Plus, the 2026 cars will feature mandatory lights on the side mirrors to reduce the risk of side impacts in low visibility.
Late Changes To The 2026 F1 Regulations in December 2025
As with any major overhaul, ideas that look strong on paper can prove challenging in real-world conditions.
The Race reports that F1 introduced some late changes to the 2026 rules last December to address lingering concerns.
As outlined earlier, drivers can adjust the cars’ aerodynamics. Under Safety Car conditions or in wet weather, however, Straight Mode could cool the tyres too quickly or create potential safety risks if drivers were to weave to maintain tyre temperatures.
To address this, race control will have the option to deploy a partial active aero mode. In this configuration, the front wing flaps can remain open to reduce drag, while the rear wing flaps close to maximise downforce, helping maintain tyre temperature and stability.
F1 has also moved to clarify the growing number of terms introduced by the 2026 regulations.
Earlier drafts of the 2026 regulations referred to active aerodynamics using labels such as X and Z modes, or Straight and Corner Mode, while Override Mode was previously known as Manual Override Mode (MOM).
To reduce confusion for fans, broadcasters, and teams, these late changes standardise the terminology used across the regulations.
Still, for clarity in this article, we have continued to use Straight Mode and Corner Mode to explain how active aerodynamics works, although the sport is expected to refer to active aerodynamics more broadly going forward.
So, Will F1 Improve In 2026?
As a fan, this will be the first time I head into a season with such sweeping change across the sport.
Much like 2022 at the start of the ground-effect era, the scale of the unknown makes the build-up more exciting. We won’t truly understand the impact of these regulations until the cars hit the track in pre-season testing — or when qualifying resumes in Australia.
Personally, the idea of an almost 50–50 split between internal combustion and electrical power is particularly intriguing, and there is hope that the new aerodynamic rules will reduce dirty air and improve racing.
Reliability will also play a crucial role, especially in 2026. With a complete regulatory reset, the teams that adapt quickest are likely to gain a big advantage early during the season.
Until then, there is plenty to look forward to as F1 prepares to enter a bold new era.
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Pre-season testing for the 2026 F1 season begins with a private test in Barcelona between 26 to 30 January before two more pre season tests in Bahrain from 11 to 13 February and 18 to 20 February.
Featured Image Credit: Red Bull Content Pool