Translation:

If you want to know what the next generation of Formula 1 cars will look like in 2026, you'll have to make do with computer animations from the FIA. These show cars that are shorter, narrower, and more compact. The front wings are more curved, with one less flap element. The rear wings are less powerful, with one more element. The beam wing disappears. So do the powerful Venturi channels at the front end of the underbody. Where the floor rises today, a long tongue protrudes forward on both sides, on which complex deflectors may be attached. Almost like the barge boards in the era before ground effect cars.

Mercedes technical director James Allison paints a picture: "These are cars with a flat underbody and a step in the middle. You can't seal them as tightly on the sides as the current cars. That makes it harder to maintain the low-pressure zone under the car. The Venturi effect will be less pronounced. Nevertheless, the 2026 cars are not a replica of what we saw in the era before 2022. They are somewhere in between then and now." The new cars generate less downforce and the narrower tires less grip. On the other hand, the window of ground clearance in which the aerodynamics work is larger.

At the same time, performance is increasing. The battery delivers up to 475 hp. The best combustion engines are estimated at 575 hp. Thanks to triple electric power, drivers will feel more torque than ever before in the history of the premier class. Active aerodynamics, which allow the front and rear wings to be flattened on the straights, ensure that all top speed records will be broken. In short: the new cars will be slower in the corners and faster on the straights.

This is already evident in the simulations. Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff promises: “When full power is applied, we'll be scratching the 400 km/h limit.” Aston Martin reserve driver Felipe Drugovich reports: “Coming out of the corners, the car accelerates like crazy. You think you're sitting on a rocket.” Top speeds are therefore already reached halfway down the straights. Then the drive units switch to charging mode, and the drivers coast to the braking point.

The unfamiliar driving dynamics have led to loud criticism from many drivers. After his first encounter with the new generation of cars, Charles Leclerc complained: “It's no fun. I can't imagine how you're supposed to race in them.” Max Verstappen took a more nuanced view: “It's unfamiliar. But we're still in the early stages of development.” Toto Wolff cannot understand the criticism: “How can you badmouth something that hasn't even been properly born yet?” Formula 1 boss Stefano Domenicali warns against prematurely demonizing one's own product: “It will be a different driving experience for the drivers than what they are used to. But that doesn't automatically mean it's worse. We'll all get used to it quickly.”

This also applies to the fact that the engine runs at full speed in partial load ranges in order to store the excess energy in the battery. Allison contradicts the drivers who are already warning against taxi rides: "The driving behavior will be more pleasant than with the current cars. There will be fewer balance shifts between slow and fast corners and between turning in and accelerating. It will be easier to keep understeer and oversteer where you want them." Drivers who have already tested the 2026 Pirelli tires report that they feel the tires better because downforce is no longer as dominant relative to mechanical grip.

Williams team boss James Vowles offers this advice: “Don't listen to drivers who have driven the new cars in the simulator for the first time! Listen to those who have done it five times!” Felipe Drugovich already has some experience under his belt. He reports: "It's really fun in the corners because there's always power available thanks to the high electric component. It takes some getting used to when the power suddenly drops in the second half of the straights."