Parc fermé: teams can change car setups between qualifying and the race in case of rain, but with a catch. The 2026 F1 regulations introduce a “Rain Hazard” rule .

After years, the Sporting Regulations code defining the freezing of car setups between qualifying and the race has finally changed—but a small mystery remains.

Among the updates introduced with the 2026 Sporting Regulations, one concerns the Parc fermé rules, which effectively freeze car setups between qualifying and the race. For several years now, teams have not been allowed to intervene or modify the setup during official weekend sessions: once a car has participated in qualifying, no changes can be made without incurring the penalty of starting from the pit lane.

This has applied even in the case of rain. Many times in the past, teams and drivers have had to rely entirely on weather forecasts, hoping to gamble on the winning setup. One of the most aggressive in this regard over the years has been Max Verstappen, known for his extreme setup choices, for example at Silverstone and Spa.

After years of discussions—which inevitably also touched on safety concerns—the FIA has decided to revise the Sporting Code article that governs Parc fermé when weather conditions are variable.

How the regulation changes

Until now, the only Parc fermé adjustment allowed was related to the Sprint format. With the current format—Sprint Qualifying on Friday afternoon, Sprint Race on Saturday morning, followed by the main qualifying session—it has been possible to adjust the car setup between the Sprint and the “long” qualifying session, taking advantage of the data collected in the shorter sessions.

For 2026, a new condition called “Rain Hazard” has been introduced. If the FIA’s official meteorological service (Météo France) predicts a probability of precipitation above 40% at any point during the Sprint or the race, the Race Director can declare a “Rain Hazard” up to two hours before the start of qualifying (or the Sprint Qualifying).

Once a “Rain Hazard” is declared, teams will be allowed to adapt their car setups for wet conditions once the seals are removed (i.e., five hours before the race or Sprint) without being penalized, meaning they won’t be required to start from the pit lane.

However, there is a mysterious catch: the exact list of components that can be modified is contained in a private document (dubbed FIA-F1-DOC-080), which is accessible only to the teams themselves…