Our Reaction to the NEW 2026 F1 Regulations

Matt and Tommy discuss the 2026 F1 regulations which have been fully released today and talk about just how exciting this is for the sport.

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[thebateman]

"2026" still feels like it's 6 years away, not less than two

[ben_]

I never understood why for some people "new regs = more equal field"
For me it's pretty obvious that at the beginning of new regulations it's way easier for one team to dominate because they found something the others didn't. Only after a few years does the field get closer together, like we're seeing now.

[scottmeredith]

It might not be a huge change, but I’m not going to criticize the FIA for at least turning the trend around and making the car somewhat smaller and lighter

[supaG-.]

I bet 2025 will be a really close season only to then be wiped away for 2026.

[sujjo]

No guys you got it wrong. This low downforce mode and high downforce mode will be in the control of the drivers. That means, every straight, every part of the track that doesn't need much downforce, they'll open up the wings to reduce drag in turn saving energy. The overtakes are gonna happen when they go on manual override mode in designated zones with designated gaps with the car in front. They can basically override the electric power cut off at high speeds and basically get more power compared to the car in front to aid passing. Much like KERS. That means to a certain extent organic overtakes by out braking the driver in front. So yeah.

[Случайноерусскоеимя]

In automotive engineering terms, 100mm and 200mm is a lot. New cars often brag about being 20mm wider or having a 20mm longer wheel base. Also mm is what engineers tend to talk in.

[scsutton]

Shorter, narrower, lighter. It's what we wanted, but it still feels like there's a lot more to do.

[YourLoyalDeserter]

10cm is actually kind of a lot in car width terms. The difference between an M3 and a Ford F150 is 12cm. The new cars are actually about half-way between the current cars and the 2004 cars width-wise.

[ClinicalDecisionYikesYT]

“Not until I shift into manual override” F1 out here copying SpongeBob

[Gommuten]

The metal industry, particularly the automotive sector, employs millimeters as the standard unit of measurement because all processes, from design and planning to manufacturing and construction, are carried out using this metric. This precision is crucial as even slight deviations of a fraction of a millimeter can result in malfunctioning parts.

[BurakUnan]

FYI: Dimensions in "mm" is standard in automotive.

[laurenmp]

I hope the FIA doesn't do what they did this last time and let a team force a rule change that undoes the changes. F1 needs cars that can be close and pass each other, if Mercedes or Ferrari get it wrong, the FIA needs to tell them "That's your problem".

[YourLoyalDeserter]

On the looks of it, go back and look at the concept for the 2022 regs, and then look at the F1-75. They will look fine.

[AlbertZonneveld]

8.5 MJ is about 2.4 kWh
It represents about 24 seconds at 350 kW of power

[charlesgarcia]

Tommy hit the nail on the head at 6:00. Slower cars and also lighter. But that hybrid unit just makes it impossible to make these cars small, and it's sad

[Mortimer]

F1 is the pinnacle of engineering why can’t they just say that cars have to be 400 mm narrower and see what constructors do 🤔

[Treehat]

If you just look at the part of the car that has the large FIA it reminds me of the back of a Citroen (if you ignore that the back wheels are not covered)

[garchompy_]

apparently these regs werent actually approved and there are at least 2 teams that are threatening to leave the sport because of it? and others are annoyed they werent approved before being pushed as final?
what a time to be alive...

[jacksteven]

When they talk about nimble. They mean it has 30% less drag. Making it easier to throw into a corner and also easier to spin out.

[laser_simon]

Tommy is so right with his statement about less grip! If the human is the limit and the car could do more, the 20 „best“ drivers in the world, should all be able to achive this. This means laptimes are very close together, if however the driver can push the car over the limit more easily, like in formula e, racing is muuuch closer. Then the „if theres a gap, go for it“ starts again. Then the driver can brake late, wrestle the carbaround the bend and fight…