AIUI, the rules about the compression ratio haven't changed, apart from a lower CR due to the sustainable fuels. The CR is measured at ambient temperature, which is really the only practical way to do it.
As I mentioned, Buchan's video explains this a lot better than I can, and has screenshots of the rules in question showing the change:
Hopefully there's loads of exploiting of loopholes and we get a very mixed up field next year.
I wonder if there'll be more breakdowns, F1 cars have become very reliable in the last few years.
I think I read somewhere that Ferrari are planning on taking a fairly basic version of their car to the first test and just focus on getting everything running reliably, then worry about performance later. I suspect all the teams will do that and we won't see the final iterations of the cars until the third test.
One for the Green Wing fans…
It would appear there are more loopholes to exploit in these rules than the average colander. Another B -sport video showed how easy it is to design outwashing barge boards within the rules despite the intention to make that not possible. Im sure the teams have found lots more they can exploit.
Can I just add, that in amongst all the rule changes and speculation about engines and clever ways to get around the intent of the aero rules. The fact that teams are again allowed to design their own wheels, and we've probs seen the end of the dustbin lids, is personally, something I'm really happy about.
Hate to spoil your happiness nickc - but there was an amendment to the regs and wheelcovers are apparently staying. And with the new regs aimed at minimising out-wash* removal of wheel covers would allow teams to play with fancy wheels and brake drums again.
I was so looking forward to seeing the back of them too! ☹️
https://www.reddit.com/r/formula1/comments/1pjakk3/wheel_covers_are_staying_for_2026/
(*hence the massive bargeboards)
Oh, FFS
Only two weeks till the first team renders get released (Haas) - so hopefully we'll get a better idea of the final look soon.
And they'd better not just re-skin the FIA renders!!
And they'd better not just re-skin the FIA renders!!
I'd be surprised if any teams do not do that!
I just hope a few teams run their real cars in the private test and that we get a little glimpse 🙂
The suggestions from the media point towards everyone not wanting to show their cards early so I think re-skin FIA renders is exactly what we're going to get.
I hope someone does some trolling and produces some wacky design just to get the other teams stratching their heads 🤡
I just hope a few teams run their real cars in the private test and that we get a little glimpse
I don't think they've got much choice - they haven't got time to muck about with half arsed mule cars. And they can't run the previous seasons car with a livery tweak.
The private test is only really to avoid public embarrassment should a teams car be a total turd or not be able to run a few laps back to back.
They won't be the cars that turn up in Australia of course!
I don't think they've got much choice - they haven't got time to muck about with half arsed mule cars. And they can't run the previous seasons car with a livery tweak.
The private test is only really to avoid public embarrassment should a teams car be a total turd or not be able to run a few laps back to back.
They won't be the cars that turn up in Australia of course!
What I meant was, I think they will all run very basic versions of their cars, and anything remotely spicy will be revealed very late. 🙂
The suggestions from the media point towards everyone not wanting to show their cards early so I think re-skin FIA renders is exactly what we're going to get.
I hope someone does some trolling and produces some wacky design just to get the other teams stratching their heads 🤡
THat would be fun especially as part of the livery launch so its only playing in illustrator rather than build anything. Maybe use on of the dead ends they no doubt went down, that might scratch some heads as I suspect many teams have experimented down similar paths.
There's talk of a revolutionary flexible suspension from Ferrari. Is this new, or do all teams do this to some extent already?
"Technical director Loic Serra decided that Ferrari should explore having levels of flexibility in their front suspension arms in 2026.
Serra worked with various departments in Maranello on their new front suspension set-up, which should limit the movement of the floor but can still generate downforce. Ferrari have found an ‘intelligent’ way to layer the carbon skins so the suspension arms can flex at speed.
The FIA only conducts static tests on the flexibility of the upper front suspension wishbones, which Ferrari’s fix should meet. Serra gave Ferrari an ‘extremely complex’ task to design the suspension in a way that satisfies the FIA’s checks but deforms when a load is then applied"
That’s an interesting one. I’m no suspension expert but in my head this must be for adjusting camber, like a passive variation on Mercedes’ DAS system…?
Is this new, or do all teams do this to some extent already?
Until we know if Ferrari actually have flexy suspension, we won't know.
Asymmetric bushes in road cars are nothing new - they flex differently depending on how the suspension is loaded, to alter toe in/out under cornering loads, for example. My guess is that whatever Ferrari are doing won't be as radical as the online clickbait stories are saying.
Ah, yeah, DAS was toe rather than camber, wasn’t it
I'm sure Charles and Lewis are thrilled at the prospect of suspension that flexes!! Especially a Ferrari designed version! 🤣
🤔 I wonder if that's real, or if it's supposed to throw others off the scent of whatever their real spicy sauce is.
Given the aero changes, I would have thought the suspension was less critical than in '25.
I would have thought the suspension was less critical than in '25.
My guess is that tyre temperature control will still be a major thing. DAS was used to get the front tyres up to temperature during qualifying. Ferrari have really struggled with long-run pace for years, they could qualify well because they could get the tyres up to temperature fast, but that killed them in races. Red Bull often had the opposite, they struggled more in qualifying but had incredible long-run pace. McLaren somehow managed to do both well. I suspect that will be what Ferrari are chasing.
In the context of everything that’s wrong with F1 and the FIA, this reads like a breath of fresh air… wonder if it’ll be as good as it sounds?
As much as I want that to happen it's kinda been done and failed with A1 GP.
And the F1 chatter is for a return to V8s with synthetic fuels after this current engine cycle, so that IMO, would kill this Hamilton series immediately.
If it was a choice between watching spec cars and F1 manufacturers battling it out I'd choose F1 everyday. F1 isn't just about the drivers.
Who's going to pay for it? Why hybrids, why not just do an F5000 type thing with production based engines? Nascar V8s put out 700 hp or so with restrictor plates, I think 900 hp would be simple enough.
This is what a F5000 field would sound like. Not the same as V10s revving to 18,000 RPM, but they would probably be about 10% the cost and make a lot more noise than turbos.
Audi hitting the track tomorrow!...
https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/audi-to-become-first-team-to-debut-2026-f1-car-on-track/
I would have thought the suspension was less critical than in '25.
My guess is that tyre temperature control will still be a major thing. DAS was used to get the front tyres up to temperature during qualifying. Ferrari have really struggled with long-run pace for years, they could qualify well because they could get the tyres up to temperature fast, but that killed them in races. Red Bull often had the opposite, they struggled more in qualifying but had incredible long-run pace. McLaren somehow managed to do both well. I suspect that will be what Ferrari are chasing.
According to one article, and a video from the Slipstream stories channel on YouTube, Serra has made tyre management the priority for the 2026 car, whereas it was always an afterthought from Ferrari in the past.
The Slipstream stories is a weird channel, it's full of super positive Lewis and Ferrari videos along the lines of "just wait, next race/season is going to be amazing"
It's narrated by an AI bot but whoever is behind it seems to have some insider knowledge from the Ferrari garage..?
whoever is behind it seems to have some insider knowledge from the Ferrari garage..?
Or is just dredging up rumours from online and repackaging them. Most of them will be wrong, but will be forgotten. The few that turn out to be correct are trumpeted as evidence that the person really does have insider knowledge.
Audi have apparently made it onto the track for their 'filming' (shakedown) day. Well done to them.
(i did have a video here but I've removed it as somebody posted in the comments that it was faked)
In the (I’m sure 100% legit) video I’ve seen it seems to have a blown diffuser. Well done Audi 😉
In the (I’m sure 100% legit) video I’ve seen it seems to have a blown diffuser. Well done Audi 😉
10 YEARS OF AUDI WCC + WDC INCOMING
I know these are only based on FIA renders but I do like the look of the 2026 cars. Front and rear wings are a big improvement.
VCARB is a bit of a dogs-dinner though! And I still don't know if we are getting wheel covers or not. They are on the VCARB but not on the Red Bull!...
And I still don't know if we are getting wheel covers or not. They are on the VCARB but not on the Red Bull!...
My understanding is that they are partial covers/fairings. The Red Bull has them too, but you need to look closely as they are black against black
Yay, gloss paint is back! That livery looks great to be honest.
Potentially the end of entertaining radio messages from the 44 cockpit.
Maybe they should get Gunther to do it. Ferrari strategy via Steiner to Hamilton, it’d sure get the viewers in.
Did anyone else notice that Ferrari are the only ones using biofuel? Everyone else is using eco-fuel. I'm guessing the bet is that the eco-fuel is more consistent, and the biofuel may have too many variables in it. Having said that, Ferrari still has the strategy team in place, so I don't think the fuel is going to make a flying monkey's difference.
Potentially the end of entertaining radio messages from the 44 cockpit.
Maybe they should get Gunther to do it. Ferrari strategy via Steiner to Hamilton, it’d sure get the viewers in.
Good stuff but will it be out of the frying pan into il fuoco ?
Haas render - looking good!...
Haas looks cracking! Hope it stays like that. Toyota have done well to get that massive GR logo on the most prominent part of the car. Nice.
Engine Porn!... 🤩 🤩 🤩
Toyota have done well to get that massive GR logo on the most prominent part of the car. Nice
Except that Gazoo Racing is no longer their factory motorsport brand. Next year they will rebrand to Toyota Racing. I don't understand why they didn't rebrand this year, everyone knows what Toyota is, only nerds know what GR means.
There's a good explanation about that here - Gazoo Racing still exists - the F1 involvement isn't about advertising Toyota...
https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/what-makes-new-toyota-haas-f1-look-an-oddity/
There's a good explanation about that here - Gazoo Racing still exists - the F1 involvement isn't about advertising Toyota...
https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/what-makes-new-toyota-haas-f1-look-an-oddity/
Until next year, when it will be rebranded Toyota Racing.
But Gazoo Racing is still part of their motorsport branding. Which you stated it wasn't.
And it's the WEC team that will be renamed Toyota Racing this season.
The F1 team is still TGR because they don't build the cars or the engine (unlike WEC), so they don't want to give the impression they do by branding the team as Toyota...
"That would create a false impression of Toyota's involvement and also its long-term intentions, which have been scrutinised since the deal was first done in October 2024."
Their WRC team still competes as Gazoo Racing...
https://www.wrc.com/en/teams/toyota-gazoo-racing-world-rally-team
Except that Gazoo Racing is no longer their factory motorsport brand. Next year they will rebrand to Toyota Racing. I don't understand why they didn't rebrand this year, everyone knows what Toyota is, only nerds know what GR means.
I didn't know what it meant (all that Gazoo Racing stuff).
I just saw it & immediately thought oooooh, Yaris GR. Is that not the point of branding and making some kind of motorsport connection?
I'd say only a nerd would know.....that Gazoo Racing is no longer their factory motorsport brand. Next year they will rebrand to Toyota Racing. 😉
The cooling configuration on the Racing Bulls (the real car, not the livery mule) looks interesting, with what looks to be a very large (and certainly interestingly shaped) overhead intake. I guess until we see more cars it’s not clear at all whether it’s (a) a tradeoff to sculpt the sidepods more aggressively, (b) an increased cooling requirement for the new PU spec, or (c) just the RBPT PU that’s going to need a lot of cooling. If it’s (c) then there goes Max for 2027…
I guess we'll know once the Red Bull launches if the big airbox is required by the PU layout or just an RB thing.
Am I the only one who keeps forgetting that Red Bull are now Ford and AM are Honda?
That airbox is a whopper!! 😳
That VCARB livery is a right mess though - looking forward to Audi showing them how to do coherent livery at their launch later today.
To be fair to RB, we have seen worse
.
Did I read correctly that Bono was going to Ferrari, or is that just a website having a punt/wishful thinking?
I'm guessing that the big airbox is so they can put stuff that was inside pods and around the floor into that space. As they lost all the clever underfloor stuff, they need to do as much as they can with the edges and the top of the floor to get downforce.
Having said that I'm not an aerodynamicist. It just looks like there's more edge of the floor showing at the bottom, the side pods seem to be smaller, thinner, and ducked down more, and all the shit that was in there has to go somewhere, and there's a big box on top, so I'm guessing they put it in there.
Did I read correctly that Bono was going to Ferrari
Very clever. Though there’s nothing in that article but supposition, nothing that couldn’t be got around with a whopping cheque and an NDA.
Did I read correctly that Bono was going to Ferrari
Highly doubtful...
https://racingnews365.com/why-lewis-hamilton-will-not-be-reunited-with-bono-at-ferrari
Most likely candidate...
I'm guessing that the big airbox is so they can put stuff that was inside pods and around the floor into that space … there's a big box on top, so I'm guessing they put it in there.
It’s technically possible, but not really plausible: they spend a lot of effort getting the centre of mass as low as possible, they’re not going to lift a bunch of components from the floor to the driver’s head.
To be fair to RB, we have seen worse
When I saw the RB I did think that unless everyone has a similar design it’s going to be known as the Flat Smurf or something.
I find this chap rather good at explaining the aero of the cars as they are launched. He has the benefit of actually having done it for a living in the relatively recent past in F1 so knows his stuff and doesnt do hyperbole.
https://youtube.com/@kyleengineers?si=rPDs6wJdNcaCyhby
It’s technically possible, but not really plausible: they spend a lot of effort getting the centre of mass as low as possible, they’re not going to lift a bunch of components from the floor to the driver’s head.
I agree that every engineer wants to keep the centre of gravity as low as possible, but a bit like Ferrari using steel-based alloy heads on their engine rather than aluminium, sometimes the other compromises that forces aren't worth it. It may be that they can get greater benefit through downforce than they lose through high CoM.
I was thinking more wires and sensors than batteries and gearboxes anyway, so not big heavy things. Just using that space to add aero benefits elsewhere.
I'm guessing that the big airbox is so they can put stuff that was inside pods and around the floor into that space … there's a big box on top, so I'm guessing they put it in there.
It’s technically possible, but not really plausible: they spend a lot of effort getting the centre of mass as low as possible, they’re not going to lift a bunch of components from the floor to the driver’s head.
Getting clean air to the rear of the car is a challenge in these regulations, so perhaps they think that slightly worse weight distribution is a worthwhile tradeoff for more control of the air around the sidepods.
The packaging of the car does look quite tight in that area (look where the ford logo is on the pic posted earlier) - i mean not to Mercedes W13 levels but still, quite compact.
I have to say, looks wise, i really like the cars so far, obviously would be better with a 19000 RPM v10 or v12 howling away though 🙂 Just hope the inwashing thing isn't a complete washout (sorry)
(blank post to work around the missing post bug!)
Looks like Audi slipped in some renders of their real car in their lauch event:
https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/did-audi-slip-out-its-real-2026-f1-car-during-launch/
It'll be interesting watching how the 2 "new" teams do in comparison with one another - Audi with its established (Sauber) team but a brand new engine supplier (Audi), and Cadillac with a brand new team, but established engine supplier (Ferarri).
And to a lesser Extent, red bull teams with the inherited Honda knowledge/personnel with their own engine.
Actually, that 6 cars on the grid with brand new engine manufacturers in the back... That's over a quater of the field. Might be intersting!
EDIT: honda coming back in too! that's 8 cars!
I think the main questions are whose PU has a power advantage (currently the main differentiator points to Mercedes and RBPT) and whose PU has reliability. Those factors are likely to be locked in for a year.
Some people will have got the aero a bit wrong but we’ll see them catch up through the year, it won’t be the beast of a problem that it was in the first year of ground effect.
It’s pretty tempting to put a few quid on Williams. Mercedes PU, loads of wind tunnel allowance, an early switch to the 2026 car, and coming off a solid base of steady improvement. I nearly took a punt when Sainz was 80-1 for WDC, not sure what the odds are now… (edit: 66-1, still just about tempting)
(edit: 66-1, still just about tempting)
I'd keep your money in your pocket!
Williams winning means Mercedes and McLaren both screwing up massively and Williams are still in a transformative stage from their old Excel spreadsheet and scraps of paper way of working!
Williams winning means Mercedes and McLaren both screwing up massively and Williams are still in a transformative stage from their old Excel spreadsheet and scraps of paper way of working!
It's unlikely but you never know!
Gloves are off in the engine dispute!… 🤣🤣
“I know what we’re doing. I’m confident that what we’re doing is legal,” he said. “Of course, we’ve taken it right to the very limit of what the regulations allow. I’d be surprised if everyone hasn’t done that.
“Any engineer that doesn’t understand about thermal expansion doesn’t belong in this sport, doesn’t deserve to be an engineer really. Understanding how materials behave in different temperatures, pressures, stresses, loads – that’s literally our job.”
Don’t know if the market for it exists, but if there is a spread bet on Williams points, and then close it after they make a quick start and before they are caught up?
(edit: 66-1, still just about tempting)
I'd keep your money in your pocket!
Williams winning means Mercedes and McLaren both screwing up massively and Williams are still in a transformative stage from their old Excel spreadsheet and scraps of paper way of working!
I don’t disagree. There is a reason why the odds are long!
I didn’t say I think Williams will be champions this year: clearly the most likely are Mercedes, McLaren and Red Bull. But if I were to place a bet, I’d not be interested in modest returns on favourites, I’d be considering which long odds stand a plausible chance of coming good if all the cards fall in the right hands, and there are (inevitably) slim pickings in that category.
But yes, it does require both Mercedes and McLaren to drop the ball.
Yes, the point of bets like that is you bet on a team that is not expected to win so you get great odds. Not something to bet the farm on, but a small bet would be worth it. Actually, I would say that Red Bull also look to be worth a bet if these AI produced odds are what is actually available:
Constructors' Championship OddsWilliams' odds of winning the 2026 Constructors' Championship are generally in the range of 40/1 to 50/1 (+4000 to +5000 moneyline). This places them behind top teams like Mercedes, McLaren, and Ferrari.
Team Representative Odds Mercedes 13/8 McLaren 15/8 Ferrari 10/1 Red Bull 13/1 Aston Martin 12/1 Audi 33/1 Williams 50/1 Alpine 66/1 Haas 200/1
Mercedes are cooking with this livery!...
I'd look on Betfair Exchange (the exchange, not the bookie version) or Smarkets to get better indication of odds. Not only will there not be a baked in margin, but the odds will be closer to current sentiment. Plus instead of betting on Williams (or whoever), you can bet both for and against at different times and win regardless, but you'll need to work out which are the ones incorrectly priced.
I don't like that Microsoft logo with the colours, just doesn't integrate into the rest of it.
instead of betting on Williams (or whoever), you can bet both for and against at different times and win regardless, but you'll need to work out which are the ones incorrectly priced.
I think the thing with bets like this is that it's fun to make a modest bet on a team that you support. Doing it with a serious expectation of making money is a sucker's game.
Edit: And I don't bet at all except as a fun thing with friends. I could well imagine myself ending up penniless if I started online gambling.
