With the disappearance of ground effect, the rake setup is returning to Formula 1 in 2026. However, according to McLaren’s technical leadership, it won’t be as extreme as on the cars that raced up until the end of 2021.
One aspect that was largely lost during the last era of F1 cars was the rake angle. This is unsurprising, considering that between 2022 and 2025, teams had to focus on exploiting flat floors and Venturi tunnels. Roughly half of a car’s downforce was concentrated in the floor area, while the remaining 50% was distributed roughly equally between the front and rear.
With the new technical regulations introduced on January 1, 2026, we are seeing cars with noses pointed more forward and rears higher, designed to optimize aerodynamic load by making the front end work harder and translating the benefits throughout the car.
The first 2026 cars observed on track—from Audi to Racing Bulls at Imola and Mercedes at Silverstone—have already brought rake back into focus. Each car, with varying rear heights, confirms the return to vehicles that are more pointed at the front and higher at the rear.
Rob Marshall, McLaren Racing’s technical director, confirmed the comeback of rake, explaining that the amount used will depend on the aerodynamic package and the location of the CLR (Center of Lift and Rotation). He noted that the intent of the new regulations was to increase rear ride height, and based on McLaren’s experience, that appears to be the case. However, he emphasized that the precise limits of how high or low the car could go remain unknown, adding that the team will work in Barcelona to find the optimal operating window.
Marshall elaborated on why a high-rake setup can benefit the new cars. He explained that a high rake traditionally allows a bit of “free” angle of attack on the wings, which, if managed aerodynamically, provides significant performance advantages. Additionally, it permits greater suspension travel and offers secondary aerodynamic benefits, all aimed at chasing peak aerodynamic performance and ensuring the rear follows that peak.
He admitted that the final rake could be higher or lower than expected, and only testing will reveal the definitive configuration.
Mark Temple, McLaren’s technical director of performance, provided further insight into ride heights. Unlike the ultra-low ground-effect cars of the past or the much higher rears of the pre-2022 era, 2026 cars are expected to sit neither extremely high nor extremely low. Interestingly, this won’t be a simple compromise. With less sensitivity to ride height than in previous years, teams will have more freedom to adjust setups to find the so-called “sweet spot,” optimizing car behavior without simply sacrificing speed.
Temple explained that cars before the end of 2021 had higher rear ride heights, whereas 2022–2025 cars ran much lower to exploit floor tunnels and aerodynamic performance. For 2026, the position is intermediate—not exactly high or low, and not merely a middle ground. This flexibility will allow teams to manipulate the car’s setup to influence handling without negatively affecting performance, creating interesting variables to observe during testing.
The return of rake also intersects with energy recovery strategies, something that teams and drivers will need to account for throughout the season. Temple highlighted that understanding how rake and energy recovery interact—especially under braking and corner entry—is a new challenge unseen in the previous two car generations. How this affects driver inputs and car behavior will be key to optimizing performance.
“We don’t yet know the full impact, and it’s something we’ll learn through testing,” he said. “As Rob mentioned, understanding this and how to exploit it will be crucial for us in 2026.”
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