The revolution of the power units has also forced a complete rethink of aerodynamics. The energy demands of the new hybrid component, three times more powerful than in the past, made it essential to design a new generation of single-seaters that are aerodynamically far more efficient. Formula 1 therefore says goodbye to ground effect and decisively embraces active aerodynamics, which becomes a key battleground. This time, the FIA also intends to take a hard line against solutions born from loopholes in the regulations, changing its approach to grey areas.
The new philosophy
The new regulations attempt to reverse the trend of recent decades, cautiously returning to smaller, lighter and more agile cars. Overall width is reduced from 2000 to 1900 mm, while the wheelbase is also shortened, with the distance between the front and rear wheels dropping from 3600 to 3400 mm. The ground-effect era reintroduced in 2022 also comes to an end, with cars once again generating a significant portion of their downforce from the floor, but with an increasing percentage coming from the wings.
As a result, the Venturi tunnels disappear, making way for the return of the traditional flat floor. This means the cars will no longer need to run extremely close to the ground and will instead be able to operate at a higher ride height. This change has a knock-on effect on suspension settings, which become softer compared to the extremely stiff Formula 1 cars of recent years, benefiting driver comfort and mechanical grip in slow corners. There is also curiosity about whether any team will reintroduce a rake setup, with the car pitched forward to allow the diffuser to work more effectively.
As for the wings, the front wing is reduced from four to three elements and becomes narrower, with the load-generating section contained within the width of the wheels. At the rear, the beam wing above the diffuser disappears, while the main rear wing returns to a squarer shape, with the number of elements increasing from two to three. However, the most significant change concerns active aerodynamics, which are more complex than in the past. The system controls the opening of two elements on the rear wing and two on the front wing, delivering an effectiveness three times greater than the previous DRS. Unsurprisingly, this is an area where a major technical battle will be fought.
The importance of active aerodynamics
Unlike the old DRS, the new active aerodynamics will not be limited to qualifying or overtaking situations. All drivers will be able to activate it at any time on straights or in predefined zones, as it is essential for reducing drag and lowering the electrical energy consumption of the hybrid system. Cars will therefore have different aerodynamic modes: one with closed wings in corners, known as Z-Mode, and another with open wings on the straights, called X-Mode. At the race director’s discretion, partial activation may also be allowed in certain sections or in wet track conditions, with only the front wing opening.
Teams will have to develop not one but two aerodynamic states, with all the complications that entails, as highlighted by Haas technical director Andrea De Zordo in an interview with The Tech Formula: “Even just analysing the data in the wind tunnel is much more complicated. Before, there was a single configuration, which meant that balance and efficiency were evaluated only in that setup. […] Now, however, the car will normally operate in two standard configurations in different parts of the circuit. You have to understand how much importance to give to each one.”
In the past, differences in DRS effectiveness between teams were already evident, with engineers exploiting the interaction between the rear wing, beam wing and diffuser to reduce the drag generated by the floor. It is therefore easy to imagine the opportunities that now arise with active aerodynamics that are three times more powerful, always available and acting on both wings. “You might be able to control what happens when the wings open and how the flow structures influence the rest of the car,” observes Tim Goss, Chief Technical Officer of Racing Bulls. The aim is to use the opening of the wings to also reduce floor drag, which will operate at a higher ride height on the straights thanks to the suspension decompressing when the wings are activated.
Crackdown on grey areas
The 2026 revolution is also an opportunity to continue the clean-up of aerodynamics, improving wake quality to make close racing easier. The ban on replicating the mid-car appendages seen up to 2021 remains in place, meaning that the suspension arms continue to be the only elements positioned between the front wing and the floor, giving them an important role. The new cars also adopt an inwash philosophy, with various elements designed to draw the airflow inwards to reduce disturbance for following cars. Teams, however, have the opposite interest, always trying to push wheel turbulence away, as it represents a source of losses for the floor.
The FIA is fully aware of this and is attempting to counter the practice through strict prescriptions on aerodynamic surface shapes. More than ever before, the governing body is determined to ensure that teams respect the spirit of the regulations. To achieve this, it has changed its approach to grey areas, adopting a zero-tolerance policy towards those who exploit regulatory loopholes based on ambiguous interpretations of the rules.
“If a team were to come up with a solution based on a certain interpretation of the rules without asking us for clarification, we would never give it any consideration,” warned Nikolas Tombazis, FIA single-seater technical director, speaking to FormulaPassion. “For any clarification requested by the teams, if we believe that the question indicates the existence of a genuine grey area with little clarity, we would make sure to send an identical communication to all teams.” The intention is to avoid a repeat of the 2009 double diffuser case, when communications between the FIA and only some teams led to different interpretations of the regulations. At least in words, the priority now is to ensure that the rules are clear for everyone.
Expected performance
In their current form, the regulations show numerous differences compared to the initial draft published in June 2024. Early simulations painted a worrying picture, with performance only slightly better than Formula 2. Since then, the FIA and the teams have made several changes, such as lengthening the diffuser, redesigning the bodywork around the wheels and bringing the endplates closer to the style of previous cars. It is estimated that these modifications have increased aerodynamic load by around 50 points, with the overall deficit reduced from -40% to -15% compared to the 2025 ground-effect cars, values similar to those seen in 2022 and 2023.
These are still only reference figures, as there are very different predictions among the various teams, reflecting the development of different concepts. Overall, active aerodynamics could lead to higher top speeds on the straights, combined with explosive acceleration thanks to the immediate torque of the electric motor. The reduction in minimum weight and softer suspension settings will also improve agility in slow corners, while performance in high-speed corners could worsen slightly, though not dramatically. Lap times are nevertheless expected to be close to those of recent years, but only the track will be able to provide definitive answers.
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