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Formula 1 has revealed the new vocabulary that will be used to describe the advanced features of its upcoming 2026 regulations.

The championship is embarking on what is considered the most significant technical shift in its competitive history starting in 2026, featuring new chassis and engine rules and the required adoption of eco-friendly fuels.

The new power units, which retain the 1.6-litre V6 configuration, boast a greatly enhanced electrical capacity, requiring significant developments in the cars' aerodynamics.

Over a race distance, competitors will strategically manage electrical energy – potentially on qualifying laps – to extract the peak performance.

Broad surveys were carried out with a wide range of fans, including long-time followers and newcomers, to identify which phrases would improve understanding of the main elements of the upcoming rules.

The key objective was to render a series of complex technical aspects of the sport as accessible as possible for the global fanbase.

Consequently, older technical labels for specific components – such as "modes labelled X and Z" for the active aerodynamics – have been phased out in favour of descriptive names that directly explain the primary purpose of the innovation.

Exploring the New Tech

The FIA states that competitors will have greater control to determine tactics regarding battery management, energy recovery, and efficiency.

The new regulations mandate a range of settings that will be visually displayed on television graphics to aid the fans' insight of the strategic duel.

• Overtake Mode: This takes over from the present overtaking aid. It provides a surge of additional ERS power deployable when a driver is within one second the leading car to facilitate an overtaking maneuver.
• Power Mode: This is a driver-operated energy deployment from the ERS that can be deployed for attack or defence. It delivers the driver peak output at the activation of a control.

Both of these key functions will have to be managed carefully, as the overall battery capacity is capped.

• Active Aero: Both the nose and rear wings adjust their angles – opening on the high-speed sections for reduced drag and top speed, and angling down in the corners for maximum downforce.
• Energy Harvesting: The system can recharge the energy store with regenerative braking, or during coasting at the conclusion of a straight or in sections where only limited engine output is applied.

Car Design Evolution

The next-generation machines will be smaller and lighter compared to the 2025 spec, with a car length reduced by 200mm to 3,400mm, overall width narrowed by 100mm – down to 1,900mm – and the car weight lowered by 30kg.

Overall downforce is expected to drop by approximately 15-30%, although squads will inevitably claw this back as they optimize their packages.

Drag has been reduced by 40%. The cars will feature moveable wing elements – both wings will open on the straights to reduce drag and boost top speed and click back into place for peak handling.

Pirelli tyres will retain 18-inch rims, but the tyres themselves will be narrower, by a quarter-centimetre on the front and three centimetres on the rear.

What's Changing in the Engines?

The revised hybrid units will have an roughly half-and-half distribution in horsepower generated by the ICE and the battery and motor, up from about 20% electrical this year.

The ERS setup is simplified through the removal of the Motor Generator Unit – Heat, the complicated and costly device that generated electricity from the turbocharger.

Cars will be mandated to operate on fully sustainable fuel, manufactured from organic sources or lab-created processes.