F1 just gave us a sneak peek at the radical new cars coming in 2026
With Lando Norris still celebrating his championship victory over Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri, Formula 1 is already looking ahead to 2026 when the sport will undergo one of its biggest-ever transformations.
The new cars will look dramatically different from what we’ve seen in recent years.
Gone are the ground-effect tunnels that have defined F1 since 2022. Instead, we’re getting cars that put power units back in the spotlight and bring active aerodynamics into the mix to replace the current DRS system.
The engines are getting a complete makeover too. Power will be split exactly 50/50 between traditional combustion engines and electric power – a massive shift toward hybridization.
They’re simplifying the hybrid system by ditching the complicated MGU-H component while beefing up the MGU-K from 120kW to a whopping 350kW. This change should make overtaking easier and boost straight-line speed.
And don’t worry about performance – these cars will run on advanced sustainable fuels that pack just as much punch as current fuels.
## Smaller, lighter, faster
The 2026 cars won’t just have new engines. They’re getting completely redesigned from the ground up.
Everything’s shrinking. The wheelbase will be 200mm shorter, the cars will be narrower overall, and they’ll shed about 30kg of weight. All these changes should make the cars more nimble and responsive in corners.
With the removal of those ground-effect floor tunnels, the cars will produce less downforce. But here’s the really interesting part – drag is expected to drop by around 40%.
Active aerodynamics are making a comeback after being banned for decades. Instead of DRS, drivers will have movable front and rear wings they can adjust on the fly, switching between high downforce for corners and low drag for straights.
The cars will keep the 18-inch wheels introduced in 2022, but both front and rear tires will be narrower to further reduce drag and weight.
Formula 1 has released several images showing what these new machines will look like. They maintain that distinctive F1 silhouette but with a cleaner, more streamlined appearance that hints at their radically different engineering.
The 2026 regulations represent F1’s attempt to balance exciting racing with environmental responsibility – creating cars that can still hit mind-blowing speeds while making significant strides toward sustainability.
With just over a year before teams need to have these new cars ready for testing, the race to master these regulations is already intensely underway behind the scenes.
