Formula 1 will introduce the biggest regulation change in recent years in 2026, when it adopts all-new chassis and engine regulations.
It is a first in the championship’s 75-year history, with the 2026 F1 chassis featuring active aerodynamics that allow drivers to operate movable front and rear wings on their cars.
Drivers will be able to activate ‘X Mode’, which will activate a low drag mode for greater top speeds on straights and ‘Y Mode’ for better cornering performance.
The FIA is also considering introducing a power unit ‘override mode’ that mimics the KERS boost from 2011, giving drivers extra power on command. However, F1 drivers have expressed ‘worrying’ concerns over the impacts the new regulations might have on racing.
Talks have also recently been had between the FIA and teams over the power split between the engine and battery, although this is still ongoing. According to a report from AMuS, the 2026 cars could also see the return of one unwanted trend among F1 teams.
Return of ‘bare carbon’ liveries on the horizon with F1 2026 weight limit rules
One of the biggest trends to emerge during the last big regulation change in 2022 was the ‘bare carbon’ liveries used by teams, with them opting to have their cars stripped of colour in favour of black carbon to save weight.
F1 teams estimate that it would be 35 milliseconds per kilo of weight saved, so there is a lot of incentive to reduce the amount of paint. The downside is that it also impacts the identity of the teams on track, with the risk of all the cars effectively looking the same.
Martin Brundle said the cars looked ‘glum’ on social media website X, after seeing the trend emerge last season, but it could be set to return with the 2026 cars.
According to the report, the minimum weight of the cars is set to be “724kg plus the nominal tyre mass” which is an improvement on the current 800kg, but teams are not expected to meet that early in the regualtion cycle due to the mass of the engine and other factors.
This means they will need to employ an aggressive weight-saving programme, which includes saving weight by using less paint. Engineers will also not be able to install extra ballast to compensate for balance problems.
F1 risks losing the identity of teams if liveries are not used
F1 could face the prospect of losing the identity of the teams if they elect to strip back liveries in favour of performance.
The sport is all about trying to find and maximise every area of performance on the car, but such a thing should not be done at the expense of the show.
Fans will struggle to have any affinity to a team if they all look the same, much like if all football teams in the Premier League wore the same kit.
Time will tell if teams feel the need to put their cars on extreme weight-saving measures, but it looks like another concern amid talks that F1 teams are unhappy with the power unit performance.
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