A new era is underway for the Formula 1 grid that will surely shake things up. The new regulations are scheduled to take effect for five seasons, from changes to the power unit, chassis and aerodynamic rules to removing the DRS and replacing it with MOM…cue the jokes. It’s not just regulation changes the drivers will need to tackle; Sauber will be replaced by Audi and Cadillac is set to join.
With Cadillac joining the grid, this brings the number to 22 drivers fighting on the track. Although it’s a new team, it is faces we all know and love – Valtteri Bottas and Sergio ‘Checo’ Perez will be making their grand return.
So Long, DRS
Jenson Button was the first Formula 1 driver to press the DRS Button and Fernando Alonso was the first driver to overtake with the DRS Button. The last drivers to press and overtake were Kimi Antonelli, who was the last to press the button and Lance Stroll, who provided the last overtake.
From 2026, DRS will be replaced by ‘Manual Override Engine Mode’–or ‘MOM’ for short. This supplies a temporary boost in hybrid power.
Because of the new engines, when cars are travelling at 200mph, their speed will start to dwindle, but with MOM handy, the drivers will be able to gain some extra electrical power. This will likely follow the same rules that DRS has: that they must be within one second of another car.
In addition to MOM, the cars will now have two states at all times: “Z Mode” and “X Mode”.
“Z Mode”: The front and rear wings are closed, which produces more downforce for the corners.
“X Mode”: The drivers can open the flaps, which will reduce drag and increase their speed.
X-mode will only be allowed at certain points of the track, and more than likely to be unavailable in wet conditions.
The New Cars
The cars will be 20cm smaller lengthwise and 10cm in width with a 3.4m wheelbase and 1.9m wide. Pirelli have reduced their tyre width by 2.5cm on the front and 3cm on the rear, but the 18-inch diameter will stay the same.
The car’s weight has also been reduced by 30kg to 786kg. The cost of making these cars has increased the budget cap from $135m (£102m) to $215m (£159.6m).
The new cars are expected to be 2 seconds slower than the 2025 cars, but with McLaren’s rocket ship they had this year, it may make the fight a little closer for 2026.
In addition to new cars, they also have new power units. These power units will be a 50-50 split between electrical power and internal combustion of the engine. The engines themselves are still the same 1.6L V6 Turbo that has been used since 2014, but they will rely more on electrical energy, with nearly a 300 percent increase in electrical power.
We will likely see the return of unreliability in the early races along with varying levels of power.
Will the Racing Be the Same?
In short, no. We will likely see “lift and coast” happening throughout the 2026 season, so the drivers can bring some energy back to the car to use during longer acceleration periods.
If one driver is lifting into braking zones and another is not, we could potentially see drivers from a long way back suddenly going down the inside of the car in front. The reason for this being the MGU-K.
The MGU-K is a power unit element that will keep deploying a maximum 350kW power up to 220mph. The cars with the best power units will more than likely have the best MGU-K as the drivers can deploy more power over a lap.
To maximise the efficiency of the MGU-K, lifting and coasting will become the new norm for drivers.
Mercedes driver George Russell said:
“I think you will see more overtakes next year, but more overtakes in obscure locations – in locations where we’ve never seen overtakes before.”
Teams and Engine Suppliers
Red Bull, who previously ran Honda-supported power units, will now be running their own newly produced engines. Red Bull Powertrains formed in 2021 and, with the help of Ford, the new Red Bull-Ford engine was born.
Audi, previously Sauber, will be running their own engines for the 2026 season and new team Cadillac will be using Ferrari power units until 2028, which is when they hope to have their own engine.
Below are the teams and their engine suppliers:
- McLaren – Mercedes
- Mercedes – Mercedes
- Red Bull – Red Bull-Ford
- Ferrari – Ferrari
- Williams – Mercedes
- Haas – Ferrari
- Aston Martin – Honda
- Racing Bulls – Red Bull-Ford
- Alpine – Mercedes
- Audi – Audi
- Cadillac – Ferrari