Formula 1 is approaching another major technical regulation change and, as often happens, teams will try to take advantage of this phase by searching for grey areas in the rules in order to gain an edge over their rivals.
We have seen this very clearly in the past, for example in 2009, when Brawn GP dominated the season in extraordinary fashion thanks to the double diffuser, which generated such a significant performance advantage that the team became almost unbeatable, even against a very strong Red Bull.
This is precisely why 2026 could also be a season full of surprises. It is no coincidence that, in recent days, rumours have emerged about solutions being studied by Mercedes and Red Bull Powertrains, in collaboration with Ford, aimed at finding advantages related to the power units.
When it comes to the grey areas of the regulations, Loïc Serra, Ferrari’s technical director, addressed the topic during the traditional Christmas lunch, offering his own interpretation of this aspect of Formula 1.
“I think that what we call ‘grey areas’ are nothing more than human creativity, the ability to think of things that have never been thought of before,” said the French engineer, who arrived in Maranello from Mercedes.
“I don’t think that a new regulation, whether four years after its introduction or just one year later, really changes the overall picture. It doesn’t change the picture. What changes is the field of exploration, because at the beginning of a new set of regulations everything is immature.”
“It is more likely to see big differences because the concepts have not yet converged. But look at this year. Look at 2025: you have seen grey areas. A lot of them. Areas to be explored. People think. Everyone thought: ‘There is no margin’. In reality, whether Formula 1 regulations are stable or not, human creativity has no limits.”
“Every year, and not just every year but every week, I can see people coming up with new ideas, and I say: ‘Oh, look, we had thought about this, we had thought about that’. It’s fascinating, but then you know it happens everywhere.”
As Ferrari prepares for the 2026 revolution, Loic Serra’s philosophy suggests that the Scuderia is looking to do more than just follow the rules; they are looking to redefine them. In a sport where a thousandth of a second is the difference between glory and defeat, the “human creativity” Serra describes may be the most powerful component in the SF-26 project.
