The new Formula 1 regulations scheduled to come into effect in 2026 continue to represent a huge question mark for the entire paddock. The scale of the technical revolution is so extensive that some crucial aspects of the rules and car designs still have not been finalized. Much of this delay is due to numerous uncertainties that require teams, suppliers and partners to make assumptions, which then create knock-on effects for other areas of the car’s development.
Brembo, the long-standing leader in Formula 1 braking systems, is directly witnessing what is happening behind the scenes. The Italian company is working closely with all the teams to develop next-generation braking systems that will comply with the 2026 regulations. This close cooperation has allowed Brembo to observe significant differences in how the teams are approaching development — not just in technical execution, but also in fundamental design philosophy.
The many variables at stake
As a guest on the television program The Tech Formula, Mario Almondo, Chief Operating Officer of Brembo Performance, spoke about the diversity of technical choices among the teams as they prepare for the new era of Formula 1: “Each team is moving forward with its own philosophy and its own simulations. More than in the past, we are seeing teams taking very different directions. Naturally, we cannot disclose to one team what the others are doing. But it is certain that after a year, the grid will begin to converge toward similar solutions. At the beginning, however, that will not be the case.”
Almondo highlighted the fact that the management of energy will be the most decisive factor in 2026. “With these new regulations, the main theme is how each team will handle energy. If a team manages to get it right immediately, they could win the first four or five races of the season. Right now, every team is postponing its final decisions, because there are still so many unknowns.”
One of the main uncertainties revolves around the new Pirelli tires. The amount of grip provided by the new generation of tires will directly affect cornering speeds, lap time consistency, and crucially, how much energy is consumed from the battery during a lap. For Pirelli to finalize the tire construction, they need the most accurate possible estimates of aerodynamic load from the teams. Yet at the same time, the teams need to know the tire characteristics before they can decide on the optimal car concept.
This creates a kind of vicious cycle, where every decision depends on another piece of incomplete information. As Almondo explained, “The tires will be entirely new, and no one knows in advance how they will interact with the aerodynamics. Our simulations are precise up to 99%, but when they are based on assumptions, there is always the risk of making serious mistakes. We are already seeing huge differences. The aerodynamics, the tires, the management of energy… everything is still approximate. At this stage, the only option is to rely on common sense and make the best possible assumptions.”
The importance of brake temperatures
Focusing on braking systems specifically, Mario Almondo also drew attention to another factor that will play a major role in car design for 2026. He explained that braking strategies will have to anticipate the way energy management will affect the rear of the car: “At the rear axle, the contribution from regenerative braking will be higher than in the past. This introduces another problem. On some circuits and in certain corners, you could easily slow the car down just with the hybrid system’s regenerative braking at the rear, without warming up the brake discs. But then, at the very next corner, you might suddenly need to stress the rear discs to the maximum. Managing these temperature fluctuations will be extremely challenging.”
This observation underlines how interconnected every element of the 2026 cars will be. Aerodynamics, energy recovery systems, tires, and brakes will all interact in ways that are difficult to predict with certainty until the cars hit the track. For suppliers like Brembo, it means working closely with each team while also preparing flexible solutions that can adapt to very different design philosophies.
As the 2026 Formula 1 season approaches, what remains clear is that innovation will come at the price of uncertainty. The teams that can interpret the regulations most effectively from the start will have a significant competitive advantage, but as Brembo points out, the road to convergence will likely take more than a year of development and real-world data.
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