F1 targets smaller, lighter cars for 2026, with shorter wheelbase and narrower chassis. F1 targets smaller, lighter cars for 2026.

The all-new 2022 Formula One cars have not yet hit the track or been finalized by teams back at their headquarters, but the sport is already focusing on plans regarding the next generation of cars that should be used starting with the 2026 championship.

In 2022, the radically-different cars is expected to be just slightly slower but much easier to race and overtake with, as F1 hopes this will improve racing and therefore the show. However, during the last few months, Formula 1 has also been busily planning for 2026, when the engine rules will be tweaked to be greener, simpler and cheaper.

And the next step, as confirmed by FIA technical boss Pat Symonds, is for the 2026 cars to follow a similar prescription: “Not only the engines but also the cars have to become more sustainable” – the British motor racing engineer said, as reported by the German magazine Auto Motor und Sport – “The only way to do this is to use the formula ‘smaller, lighter, more efficient’.”

Indeed, the 2022 cars will actually be even heavier than the already-cumbersome – albeit lightening quick – current field of Formula 1 racers. It is therefore no surprise that for 2026, latest rumours inform about the idea of cars being smaller and lighter, with a shorter wheelbase and narrower chassis. And the brakes will be smaller thanks to greater reliance on aerodynamics and engine braking.

“Theoretically, the engine braking could take over everything. But there are still moments when the driver has to brake without the battery being charged.” – FIA technical boss Pat Symonds concluded.