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The FIA recently revealed the major changes to the cars that will come through the 2026 regulations. That started a debate among F1 fans and experts alike over the effect they would have on racing. While one section is excited over the possibility of the table turning on its head, others rue the possibility of the cars becoming significantly slower.
F1 journalist Mark Hughes is against the assessment of speed in isolation. However, he does admit that cars will get slower when compared with the cars produced under current regulations. Speaking on a recent episode of The Race’s podcast, Hughes said,
“As things stand, they’ll be much slower over a lap as they have a lot less downforce. They have to have a lot less downforce because they have to have a lot less drag because there’s not enough energy. If you put it in the current aerodynamic format of the car, it would be disastrous. So, there’s not enough energy now that the ERS-H has been deleted and you have this much bigger energy store as well.”
The 2026 regulations dictate the 50-50 power delivery distribution between the internal combustion engine and the electric power unit. Furthermore, the engines are to use 100% sustainable fuel. Both moves are in congruence with F1 and FIA’s commitment to eventually take the sport towards a carbon-neutral future.
However, it also means the power units will become seriously underpowered. To tackle that, the aerodynamic regulations are framed to reduce as much drag as possible. That will come at a cost of high downforce which lets drivers make turns while maintaining higher speed.
Has F1 introduced a counterproductive change to the regulations?
The FIA has faced sustained criticism over the years for framing regulations that have made cars bigger and heavier. That characteristic has made it next to impossible for drivers to make overtaking maneuvers on narrow street circuits. To tackle that, the FIA chose to make the 2026 cars lighter and smaller.
That effort has unfortunately come at the price of some crucial downforce. While it will help the car go faster, in theory, on the straights, practically it would be difficult to pull off. That is because of the underpowered engines.
Moreover, the low-drag design will significantly eat into cornering speeds. Hopefully, the active aero concept will help overcome this issue. Otherwise, the 2026 regulations might prove to be counterproductive and result in F1 losing a chunk of its fanbase.
