Formula 1 team bosses have predicted the sweeping new technical regulations being introduced next season will make the racing like a “chess game”.
The new 2026 cars will be a dramatic departure from the current ones, featuring moveable wings and a split of 50/50 between electrical energy and the internal combustion engine.
Teams have already begun to feel the pressure of nailing the new rules, moving resources away from 2025 development and pouring into their 2026 car designs.
Concerns have been raised over the spectacle of the show, as F1 moves into uncharted territory with how overtaking will work once DRS is removed, as well as potential engine disparity.
When asked, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff likened the opening races of 2026 to a “chess game” as teams work out how to deploy the radically altered energy management systems.
“We don’t know. Let’s wait and see. I’ve seen what it looks like in the simulator,” Wolff told media including Motorsport Week at the United States Grand Prix.
“It’s different, but it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s worse.
“It could be a completely new angle being introduced – in terms of a bit of a chess game, how you play the energy management, where you attack, where you defend.
“I think it’s interesting. But let’s wait. Let’s wait and see if there’s a spread.
“Let’s wait and see if it’s exciting or not. Probably six months down the line, we’ll know.”
Are the concerns unwarranted?
McLaren CEO Zak Brown was also dismissive of the regulations damaging the racing, highlighting the sport’s historic trait of closing up a widely spread out field.
“We don’t know, as Toto said. But I’d be surprised if Formula 1 wasn’t very exciting – it always is,” he added.
“The engineers are very smart. Someone may or may not get an advantage or disadvantage at the start of the year. But the teams are very clever.
“We’ve got the best engineers in the world in Formula 1. So if it starts a bit spread out, it won’t take long for it to consolidate. I’m sure it’ll be exciting. I’m not worried about it.”
Red Bull boss Laurent Mekies shared this sentiment, revealing his excitement at the potential breakthroughs from engineers to close any gaps teams have to the front.
“Same here. Not worried,” he echoed.
“I think the feeling we get from jumping into the unknown is a very positive one, and it’s probably more important now than having concerns about what could or could not happen.
“Even if there is an increased spread in the field – it’s difficult to do better than now. You have four teams that can win pretty much every race moving forward – that’s difficult to match.
“But even if there’s more spread in the field, it will create all the drama that I’m sure you guys will be happy to watch.
“And it will create all the huge reactions from the engineers – from these giants that are going into this regulation.
“So the dominant feeling is really excitement—jumping into the unknown on the chassis side, on the PU side – and it’s extremely exciting.”
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