by The regulatory overhaul planned for 2026 is already one of the main discussion points for the Paddock of Formula 1.
The drivers spoke of a “different feeling” according to their first simulator races, while questions have also arisen if F1 will become more a “energy management championship”.
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A third variable that often appears concerns the hours on the turn of the new cars. With less support generated, the times on the turn will be made differently in 2026: new cars will be faster on the straight lines than the current generation, but much more slowly in the corners.
First indication of new cars: “certainly not as slow as F2”
Overall, the next generation of F1 cars will be slightly slower, but according to the FIA, certainly not to a extent that fans will notice a lot. “First of all, I am a little surprised by the fact that the accent is on real round times,” said the sole director of the FIA, Nikolas Tombazis, during an interview with Motorsport.com.
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“We had different phases of sport when the cars were slower or faster, and I think that once you are used to it, that’s good. If you get out of a simulator or, in real life, go from a car to another car which is a second and a half more slowly, you initially think” it is not a good car “, because you feel this second and a half.
According to Tombazis, this applies not only to drivers but also to fans. “I really do not think that the times on the turn will be a factor once people get used to these cars. I think it is a comment that you initially make when you see the delta, but I do not think it will be a factor frankly, and it will not be extremely different from now.”
2026 Formula 1 rules
2026 Formula 1 rules
Tombazis has also shared a first indication of the hours of next year: “In our simulations, the new cars will be between one and two seconds and a half more slowly at the start of the regulations, and there will be clearly an evolution that will make them gain speed.”
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That said, there are still question points – also for the FIA. “In all honesty, we do not have data from all the teams, we do not know the exact levels of support of all the teams. Potentially, certain teams that do not do things at the start can be a little slower than our simulations, but we do not expect the times to the turn of discussion.”
According to the unique director, what matters most is the narrow race rather than the pure tour times: “I find a little surprising why people really care. Clearly if we were making cars as slow as F2 or something like that, then obviously, people will have something to say about this, but that is certainly not the case.”
How much will the manual replacement mode replace the DRs?
In addition to the time on the turn, another change for 2026 will be the disappearance of DRs. With the introduction of active aerodynamics (X mode and Z-Mode), each driver will have a low dragl configuration on straight lines, effectively providing a form of permanent DRS. The opening of the rear wing as a “overtaking tool” will be replaced by what is called manual replacement mode-a boost that somewhat resembles “push-to-to-pan” in Indycar.
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Asked about the power of this boost, Tombazis explained: “This is one of the things we do now, when the drivers test these cars in the simulator. It has similarities with DRs but also differences depending on the tracks. What we are generally working on with teams and simulations, rather than too easy, rather than too difficult, difficult, but feasible, rather than too simple where you are simply excited, difficult. where you cannot get close enough to the braking point.
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“The finetuning that takes place for the moment is to make sure that this replacement boost gives you roughly the right amount to be able to reach this point. It will not be the same for each circuit, but it is exactly the work that takes place for the moment.”
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