At the latest World Motorsport Council, further changes were made to the 2026 regulations.
With just three races left in the current F1 season, the FIA, and others, are already looking ahead to 2026. In fact, at the latest World Motorsport Council, additional changes were made and officially confirmed to the regulations that will come into effect in two years.
A regulation change that the teams are already working on intensively through CAD simulations, in addition to focusing on the 2025 car. A huge effort that, in light of recent developments, will increase significantly given the speed at which the new regulations are changing. Small details that, in a world as detail-oriented as Formula 1, could make the difference. Let’s take a closer look at the changes
The 2026 cars, which will be lighter than the current ones (30kg less), may appear less similar to each other than initially expected, as the FIA has intervened to ensure greater efficiency and freedom in aerodynamic design. A support arm has been added to the side of the car to prevent the usual involuntary flexing of the rear wing profile.
Moving to the front wing area, you can notice the placement of the flap for an “up-wash” function, as opposed to the “out-wash” used in previous configurations. Beneath this flap, a flow diverter has been added to channel the energy generated by the car directly toward the floor. There are also small modifications to the floor itself, aimed at better managing the aerodynamic flows. But that’s not all: the shape of the car’s intake has also been modified, albeit subtly.
Key points of the 2026 regulations: active aerodynamics and override
One of the main features of the 2026 regulations is the introduction of active aerodynamics and the override mode, a real revolution rooted in American motorsport. Specifically, the Power Unit will feature an increase in hybrid energy (which will account for 50% of the total power), with a corresponding, though significant, reduction in the thermal component.
Additional changes concerning the engine area are related to the Power Unit itself: the so-called electric part will be cut artificially and only introduced at a certain speed, as confirmed by the Federation a few weeks ago.
The most important chapter of the new regulations, however, is the full introduction of active aerodynamics, which up until now has only been present in F1 through DRS. In the new era of the cars, drivers will be able to use a new mode that will play a key role: it will not only be used to facilitate overtakes but will be crucial for race management by reducing energy consumption when not in active use.
Active aerodynamics, through the inversion of the flaps, will be activated by the drivers via a specific button on the steering wheel, and can only be used in predetermined areas defined by the FIA. These zones will be determined solely by the Federation and then communicated to the teams officially, about four weeks before each Grand Prix.
Each activation zone will also be marked with a white line, and drivers will likely be notified of the possibility to activate the aero-mobile via an LED indicator on the steering wheel. As with the current DRS system, of course, the new mode will not be allowed when there is low grip or wet conditions. However, unlike the current system, the use of active aerodynamics will not depend on the gap to the car ahead, but will be completely free.
Nikolas Tombazis, FIA technical director, explained the use of active aerodynamics with these words: ‘The way the front wing will move when the cars are on the straights has a more powerful effect than DRS. If the front wing is not adjusted simultaneously with the rear wing, the car would have a lot of front downforce and very little rear downforce. We did some simulations with the teams and determined that when you change the angle of the rear wing, you also need to adjust the front wing.’
The mechanism to activate the mobile aerodynamics has been discussed in recent meetings with the teams, and different options were presented for its regulation. Now we have a clear idea of how it will work and how it will be incorporated into the regulations.’
Override System Usage
Active aerodynamics will therefore be crucial for race management, while to facilitate overtaking, the FIA has developed a new system called “override”: according to the FIA, in the standard regulation, drivers will be able to use the full 350 kW of power up to 290 km/h. Above this threshold, power will progressively be cut, down to 105 kW when the cars reach 339 km/h. Above 340 km/h, the power output will decrease even further until 345 km/h, at which point the MGU-K will be deactivated, and the Power Unit will rely exclusively on the thermal component.
With the new override mode, however, the parameters will change: the full 350 kW of power can be used up to 337 km/h (compared to the 290 km/h in the standard configuration) and will gradually decrease to zero at 355 km/h. This mode will give the drivers more freedom and room for maneuver during duels.
The key point the Federation is focusing on is the ability to vary the power parameters that can be delivered, but how? Based on the characteristics of each individual circuit: for example, circuits like Budapest and Monaco reach different speeds compared to tracks like Spa, Monza, and Jeddah. Another reason for this adjustment is that, at some circuits, it will not be possible to fully recover energy, and the recovery rates could drop significantly.
Similar to what happens with DRS, the override mode will also only be allowed when there is a certain gap to the car ahead. Under the current regulations, to use the rear wing, a driver must be within one second of the car in front, while with the new mode, the gap parameter will be set by the Federation depending on the track type.
Finally, to differentiate the activation points for active aerodynamics and the override system, they will be marked with a white line and a yellow line, respectively. Both modes will be available in both qualifying and the race (under specific conditions): furthermore, the override will be deactivated once a car has passed the activation line and the gap to the car ahead exceeds the threshold set by the Federation at the detection line.
Photo: FIA
