Formula 1 cars are likely to become shorter, narrower and lighter in 2026 as the FIA eyes a 50kg reduction in weight for the championship’s next regulation change.
The FIA is currently working on producing an outline that will dictate the chassis regulations for the next era of F1 machinery.
In addition to a planned shift towards active aerodynamics, the FIA’s head of single-seaters Nikolas Tombazis revealed that the biggest change will be in the size of the car.
“With the dimensions of the wheels, which will be narrower, plus with the rear wing and the car in general, we aim to reduce the weight of the cars by around 50kg,” Tombazis told Motorsport.It.
“So, it will be possible to see smaller single-seater cars: shorter and narrower. But we are talking about solutions that still need to be discussed.
“With the car on a diet, we will be able to reduce the cornering speeds a bit. Being lighter, they will go faster in a straight line, but will generate less aerodynamic load. So, we will need to increase the hybrid’s energy recovery to ensure adequate lap performance.”
Concerns have already been raised by drivers and teams over the intended direction of the 2026 regulations. However, Tombazis affirmed that the any regulation changes should benefit racing.
“A lot of work has been done to understand how energy recovery and management will have to be done, and how overtaking can be done based on the aerodynamic configuration,” he continued.
“We have carried out many simulations by changing these parameters and we have found solutions that seem to work adequately.”
In July, Max Verstappen claimed that he had been downshifting at full-throttle halfway down straights in the simulator to maximise electrical performance. Tombazis refuted this claim, saying that the reigning champion’s concerns were not based on up-to-date simulation models.
“If one took the 2026 power units and mounted them on the current cars, probably the result would be the scenario put forward by those who were worried,” Tombazis added.
“But in recent months, we have collected a series of very positive developments, so the comments express old positions. We also need to take into account that the engine and chassis will have to evolve together, and it will not be possible to think of one without the other.”
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