13/08/2025 13:50
The 2026 F1 cars are set to initially be between one and
two-and-a-half seconds slower per lap, according to FIA
single-seater director Nikolas Tombazis. With the championship
overhauling both its chassis and power unit regulations for next
year, there has been considerable anticipation and intrigue over
what lies in store as F1 ushers in a whole new era. There has also
been significant concern surrounding the impact of the new rules
when they come into force. In particular, there has been a sharp
focus on how fast the new cars will be compared to the existing
models, something that the Greek designer says he is "surprised"
by. Some of the scaremongering has suggested the next generation of
cars will be as slow as F2 machinery, but Tombazis has dismissed
those claims. "I'm always surprised by how important this topic is
to people," Tombazis told Auto Motor und Sport . "There have been
phases throughout the history of the sport where lap times have
slowed. "I don't think that's harmed the sport. You get used to it
quickly. There are also differences of one and a half seconds in
the field. Does that make the slower car an unattractive race car?
"The driver feels the one and a half seconds. From the outside, you
hardly notice it." What is changing? Whilst recent regulations
changes have focused on aerodynamic (chassis) rewrites, the 2026
rules set will see substantially different power units as well as
actual cars. At a high level, active aerodynamics, which will see
the front and rear wings have two different configurations, one for
straights and another for corners, will replace ground effects and
DRS. Downforce and drag are also intentionally being reduced to
create better racing, so despite the cars being smaller and
lighter, they will naturally be slower - at least at first. This
will be compounded by changes on the other side of the technical
rulebook. Currently, F1 power units derive 15% of their energy from
electrical power; this is increasing to a 50/50 split next year.
Whilst there are other changes also being made to power units, this
is the nexus of the concern surrounding the new regulations, as
conventional power from the internal combustion engine (ICE) is
being reduced. One expected associated issue is clipping, which is
when the electrical power has reached maximum deployment towards
the end of a straight, reducing power output and, as a consequence,
top speed - the worry is that this will become more of a problem
with the new rules. The overarching concern is that, combined, the
changes will see lap times fall off a cliff. But Tombazis has some
good news in that area, stating: "To reassure you: According to our
simulations, the cars are getting between one and two and a half
seconds slower per lap. "But that's just the beginning," he
explained. "The teams will develop the cars quickly. Soon, no one
will complain that the cars are too slow. "We're not sinking to
Formula 2 level," he added, which is usually 10-15 seconds per lap
slower than the current generation of F1 cars. Although the
57-year-old did acknowledge that some teams may find themselves
worse off than others, which in itself is not unusual at the advent
of new regulations. "To be fair, I have to admit that we haven't
received data from all teams about the expected downforce of their
cars," Tombazis said. "So it's possible that some may be worse
positioned at the beginning."
