F1 2026 introduces double DRS: how it will impact car setups

For the 2026 F1 season, the FIA is introducing a double DRS. Yes, the “normal DRS” at the rear wing is no longer the same. But mobile wings are still very much part of the cars—now double, front and rear—but their use will change: they will no longer primarily aid overtaking, instead focusing on reducing fuel consumption and recovering lap time lost in corners due to lower downforce. But what will this new aerodynamic application mean for car setup?

Is the DRS really disappearing in the 2026 regulations?

Does DRS no longer exist? We are talking about the mobile wing system that allowed cars to reduce rear drag and gain a speed boost due to lower aerodynamic resistance. This effect was widely criticized for making overtaking “too easy” for a car chasing another competitor—a situation that will no longer be present in 2026.

The FIA has developed the concept of “over-take mode” as a direct replacement for DRS in assisting overtakes. Indeed, this is the approach the International Federation has implemented, using a similar activation method: the mode can only be used when a car is within one second of the vehicle ahead and only in specific zones of the track.

However, the idea that mobile wings are disappearing is not accurate. DRS, or Drag Reduction System, is a mechanism designed to change the aerodynamic penetration coefficient to a driver’s advantage. Looking ahead to 2026, it is clear that not only is DRS not disappearing, it is actually becoming double and can be used along all straight sections of the track.

Double DRS on straights: reducing drag and recovering cornering time

In 2026 F1, cars will feature two mobile elements: one on the front wing and one on the rear wing. A technical clarification is needed: front wings will now have three elements (one fixed and two movable) instead of four as in 2025. The rear wing follows the same principle, increasing from two components to three (one fixed and two movable). Naturally, the dimensions are also different.

Recent analysis has shown how these front wing modifications alter airflow and, in turn, aerodynamic concepts. The cars are narrower, and the wings are less wide, with the permitted endplate volume shifted 50 millimeters inward from the outer tire edge, directing airflow inside the tires.

This introduces challenges related to the lack of a traditional outwash base, an effect that helps manage turbulence from tire rotation and prevents interference with the floor. Engineers have undoubtedly studied ways to reproduce outwash at least partially and differently to minimize the aerodynamic impact.

Regardless, on all straights or quasi-straights (gentle, long curves), the mobile elements of both wings will fold backward, changing the car’s aerodynamic drag. This means drag decreases—the same concept applied to the rear wing until 2025. Hence, the term “double DRS” will provide a real speed boost.

Will active aerodynamics narrow the 2026 setup window?

An interesting factor emerges: the FIA’s choice aims to make cars more efficient, reducing fuel consumption while also regaining time on straights to compensate for the slower cornering due to lower ground effect downforce. This measure is not intended to facilitate overtakes. All cars, regardless of position on track, can deploy their wings along straights to equalize aerodynamic resistance. With identical wing incidence, the drag delta from activating the movable elements will be the same for all cars.

But what if one team sets a higher baseline wing angle than another? Nothing changes—the delta between movable element positions remains identical in straight-line mode. This means baseline downforce strategies will need to be reconsidered, as differences between circuits may become smaller.

For example, until 2025, wing incidence at Monza was always lower than at Monaco. Two tracks at opposite extremes: Monza demanded maximum top speed, while Monaco required high cornering speed. Will this still apply in 2026? Perhaps only partially.

It should also be noted that, at its discretion, the FIA can limit the use of “straight-line mode” to specific zones at certain tracks before a race weekend. This adds more complexity to aerodynamic setup strategies. In short, the 2026 season promises to be full of technical challenges, which we look forward to analyzing during the Bahrain tests.