An idiot's guide to Formula One 2026: rules, runners and riders

This season sees one of the biggest overhauls in F1 history. Here’s what changed

Engines

After 12 long years, it’s goodbye to 1.6-litre V6 hybrids and hello... 1.6-litre V6 hybrids. Now with vastly more e-power. Although, the complex and expensive MGU-H – the bit that generated electricity from the turbo – has been banished to the Phantom Zone. Eh? Not road relevant enough for newbies like Audi, apparently. So instead, the power of the MGU-K – the motor-generator on the rear axle – has been tripled to 350kW, with the ICE chipping in another 400kW. Or in King’s English, getting on for 1,000bhp combined. That’s a massive shift towards ’leccy motivation, so expect “lift and coast” to make an inglorious return to team radios as drivers scramble to keep the battery fed like a needy Tamagotchi.

Scared of 2014 repeating itself with one team on another planet? F1 has thought of that. The engines will be homologated before the start of the season, and those with a performance deficit of more than two per cent to the frontrunners will be allowed a mid-season upgrade; anyone four per cent behind gets two bites at the cherry to catch up.

Fuel

With a big net zero target looming for the sport in 2030, F1 is switching from an E10 mix to sustainable fuels, synthesised Tony Stark style from carbon capture, non-food biomass, and municipal waste. That’s right, the contents of your bin could end up in Lando’s tank. Possibly. It’s been trialled in F2 and F3 and nothing exploded, so... you might never notice. But every engine has its own dedicated supplier, so a development war will wage silently in the background.

Active aero

The DRS survives, but not as an overtaking gizmo. Drivers will use it on designated straights every single lap, without needing to be less than a second behind someone else. And the front wing is on B&Q hinges as well, now – partly to trim out even more drag, partly to stop surprise tankslappers as rear grip disappears.

Both elements will drop down into Straight Mode at the push of a button and automatically pop back up into Corner Mode for maximum downforce. Clever, right? The new engines demand it – lower drag equals higher speeds equals bigger braking zones equals more energy recovery. Simple.

Bodywork

As well as narrower, simpler front wings (only the endplates need a PhD to understand – woohoo!), other measures to limit outwashing – the dirty air that ruins nose-to-gearbox racing – include no more front wheel winglets and a fond farewell to rear beam wings beneath the exhaust. Oh, and bargeboards are back, baby!

Tyres

Hoping thermal deg will be a thing of the past? Bad luck, Pirelli is still here. The tyres have evolved, though – still 18s, but 25 and 30mm narrower at the front and back respectively to reduce drag and save weight. Good news for pit crews who aren’t gym bunnies.

Underfloor aero

Remember when ground effect was hailed as the magic fix for overtaking? Well that aged like full fat milk. So, F1’s going back to flat, step-plane floors with extended diffusers that don’t have to run flush to the track to, y’know, work. Downforce will fall significantly, as will Lewis’ deep tissue massage bills.

Dimensions and weight

Hooray! F1 cars are getting smaller and lighter! Not nearly by enough to appease the internet, but then nothing would. As well as being shorter, width falls by 100mm to 1,900mm, while the wheelbase shrinks by 200mm to 3,400mm. Oh, and the minimum car weight sheds 30kg to a slight and lithe 768 kilos. TL;DR, this year’s cars should be way more nimble and quite the handful. Good.

Safety

The carbon fibre survival shell around the driver has been toughened up to resist side intrusion, and the roll hoop can now take 23 per cent more load than before – up to 20g. That’s a lot of g. Meanwhile, the front impact structure has been redesigned to separate in two stages, so in big crashes there’s more protection from a second impact. But you’re not listening are you? Too busy ogling the new rain lights thinking they’re indicators. Mirror, signal, manoeuvre... into P1.

Image credit: F1.com

Boost and Overtake modes

Like a bang average family car, F1 is now suddenly obsessed with driving modes. Ready? Available for defence or attack, Boost Mode is something the drivers had in their toolkit already… they’ll just be pressing it more often now they’ve got more electrons to deploy. And circuit specific recharge modes will help them harvest those sparks as effectively as possible. Get ready for max revs mid-corner, and other hybrid weirdness. 

But the biggie is Overtake Mode, effectively F1’s replacement for the DRS – drivers within a second of the car ahead at a single detection point will get an extra 0.5MJ of recharge capacity to unleash on the following lap. Useful for an opportunistic lunge, or to force a mistake that leads to a pass later on. The tactics could be fascinating. Or as predictable as ever. Only one way to find out...

Image credit: F1.com

Uh oh! The US has invaded and the world (championship) order is under threat... here’s your F1 grid for 2026

Lando Norris [1] GBR, Oscar Piastri [81] AUS

The last McLaren driver to win back-to-back titles was Häkkinen, two weeks before 2025’s champ was born. Coincidence? Duh. But ironic that standing in Lando’s way is Mr Unflappable 2.0, who led most of last season’s two-horse race… and finished third. Ouch. Oscar will be hungrier (and less amenable to team orders) this time.

Likely to… send X into meltdown over ‘favouritism’
Unlikely to… refer to the livery as hot rod ginger

Season target: Avoid civil war

Andrea Kimi Antonelli [12] ITA, George Russell [63] GBR

Rumours persist that Merc’s engine is a grid killer, but with ground effect binned the aero department needs to prove it can suss out the new regs. If it can, the shirtless wonder of King’s Lynn (no, not Martin Brundle) will be the title favourite. Closely followed by his teenage sophomore teammate.

Likely to… dominate every race with the power unit set to ‘merciful’
Unlikely to… stop flirting with Max Verstappen

Season target: Make winning look difficult

Max Verstappen [3] NED, Isack Hadjar [6] FRA

Blimey, Red Bull is building its own engines now (in league with Ford). Risky? You betcha. Hence the bun fight over Merc’s rumoured compression ratio loophole. But the PU has turned heads in testing and even if the RB22 is half a second off the pace, Max will stick it on pole.

Likely to… throw the new boy under the bus after three races
Unlikely to… prevent Max from entering the N24 for the lolz

Season target: Blame DNFs on Renault

Lewis Hamilton [44] GBR, Charles Leclerc [16] MON

Ferrari wrote off last season to throw the kitchen sink at 2026, so the dry spell ends now… right?! When Italy last celebrated a title Kimi Antonelli was in nappies, and on recent evidence most of the strategists still are. What will run out first: Lewis’ god-given speed or Charles’ god-given patience?

Likely to… generate a gigaton of hope and expectation
Unlikely to… live up to it

Season target: No more Q1 exits

Alex Albon [23] THA, Carlos Sainz [55] SPA

A former giant trying to get back on top, one gaffe at a time? Announce the Manchester United collab already. Last season was Williams’ best in nearly a decade, but it wasted those good vibes by missing January’s first shakedown. Everyone’s favourite second team, mostly because of its nice-guy drivers.

Likely to… announce a new brand partnership every week
Unlikely to… mean anything to anyone under 45

Season target: Show up on time

Liam Lawson [30] NZL, Arvid Lindblad [41] GBR

Racing Bulls’ job is to nurture talent, in the same way a gamekeeper keeps grouse alive. So welcome Arvid, the latest hotshoe/victim plucked from F2 and 2026’s only rookie. He needs to be fast, but not so fast he’s thrown into the Colosseum with Maximus Decimus Verstappenus. Strength and honour, lad.

Likely to… rock up to the Miami GP in lit team apparel
Unlikely to… end the season with the same line-up

Season target: Fifty per cent more Insta likes

Lance Stroll [18] CAN, Fernando Alonso [14] SPA

After a Succession-esque boardroom reshuffle, vortex whisperer Adrian Newey has wound up as Aston’s team principal. Weird. He can’t afford to get distracted because this is his toughest gig yet: winning with *checks notes* the big cheese’s son and a man halfway between his debut and his pension.

Likely to… spend untold millions fixing its simulator
Unlikely to… put a driver in their prime anywhere near it

Season target: Stay friends with Honda

Oliver Bearman [87] GBR, Esteban Ocon [31] FRA

A decade in the sport and still no podium to show for it, Haas’s dry storyline gets a much-needed plot twist from the arrival of American foes this season. Best focus on that, and not its middling status as a career lifeboat and/or young driver guinea pig. USA! USA!

Likely to… laugh at Cadillac every time they lap them
Unlikely to… feature heavily in the YouTube race highlights

Season target: Apex GP-style fairytale

Gabriel Bartoleto [5] BRA, Nico Hülkenberg [27] GER

Back in GP racing for the first time since the 1930s, the four-ringed behemoth arrives with winning know-how and its own power unit. Can't fault the commitment. But starting from where Sauber left off is a massive handicap. And its only win in 32 years came with… BMW power. Awks.

Likely to… wow corporate guests with a five-star hospitality unit
Unlikely to… permit smiling, wisecracks, sarcasm or mirth in the garage

Season target: Ignore the tailgating gags

Pierre Gasly [10] FRA, Franco Colapinto [43] ARG

After finishing stone dead last in 2025, Alpine parent Renault has mothballed its engine programme of half a century (!) and bought Mercedes power instead. How embarrassing. But entirely logical if it wants to score points occasionally. Which it desperately needs to now Dacia’s Dakar win gives it more clout.

Likely to… look half decent again with someone else’s engine
Unlikely to… justify an A110 Briatore Edition that costs £300k

Season target: hire more middle managers

Sergio Perez [11] MEX, Valtteri Bottas [77] FIN

General Motors is in F1 and it means business. Hence why it's signed two race-winning cast-offs, and a team principal – ex Marussia boss Graeme Lowdon – who can handle crushing disappointment on a weekly basis. Joking aside, if Caddy isn't marooned at the back it’ll be God’s best work since Creation.

Likely to… cause a spike in searches for ‘107 per cent rule’
Unlikely to… escape the ‘I am the Caterham now’ memes

Season target: FIA-approved spinning rims