Interactive · Formula 1, 2026 rules
A 2026 F1 car, taken apart
The body lifts away first, with its mirrors and cameras above it and the cockpit rising out after it, while the wings, the floor and the wheels slide clear. The power unit inside then spreads out in a layer of its own: the V6, the turbo, the MGU-K, the battery, the radiators and the gearbox. Drag the Explode slider, then pick any part to read what it does. The car wears the Ghost livery; pick another below.
- Max wheelbase
- 3,400 mm
- Width
- 1,900 mm
- Minimum mass
- about 770 kg
- Electric power
- 350 kW
The body lifts away first, with its mirrors and cameras above it and the cockpit rising out after it, while the wings, the floor and the wheels slide clear. The power unit inside then spreads out in a layer of its own: the V6, the turbo, the MGU-K, the battery, the radiators and the gearbox. Drag the Explode slider, then pick any part to read what it does. The car wears the Ghost livery; pick another below.
Pit stop challenge
How fast can you change four wheels? Jack the car up, take the wheels off and put them back on against the clock. Your best time is kept on this device.
One lap
Watch the 2026 car take one lap with its parts working: the wheels spin and steer, the suspension moves, and the active-aero flaps open on the straights and close for the corners.
The power unit is not part of the scanned model. It is a simplified diagram built in code from the 2026 power unit regulations, so its shapes are illustrative and not to scale.
2022 and 2026, side by side
What the rules changed between the car you can pick above: moving aero, size, weight and the power unit. Published figures only; a number that could not be found in the FIA documents is left out.
| Rule | 2022 | 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moving aero | One rear-wing flap (DRS), opened by the driver | Front and rear wings both move (Corner Mode and Straight Mode); DRS is gone | Active aero on both wings |
| Width | 2,000 mm | 1,900 mm | 100 mm narrower |
| Maximum wheelbase | 3,600 mm | 3,400 mm | 200 mm shorter |
| Minimum mass | 798 kg, the car without fuel | 724 kg plus the tyres, about 770 kg | about 30 kg lighter |
| Engine power (V6 turbo) | 550 to 560 kW | about 400 kW | roughly 150 kW less |
| Electric power (MGU-K) | 120 kW | 350 kW | almost triples |
| MGU-H (turbo heat recovery) | Fitted | Removed | gone |
| Electric share of peak power | roughly a fifth | about half | an even split between engine and electric |
| Minimum power unit mass | 150 kg | 185 kg | 35 kg heavier |
Sources: 2022 Technical Regulations, issue 13 (fia.com), 2026 Technical Regulations, section C, issue 11 (api.fia.com), FIA explainer of the 2026 rules (fia.com).
2026 in numbers
Regulation figures come from the FIA 2026 Formula 1 Technical Regulations (Section C issue 11 and the Power Unit regulations issue 6) and from FIA and Formula 1 explainer articles. Where a 2026 number differs from 2025, the text says so.
Active aero: Corner Mode and Straight Mode
Both wings now move. Wings stay closed in the high-downforce Corner Mode through corners and open to a low-drag Straight Mode on defined straights. Each flap sits in one of two fixed positions and must complete a change in 600 ms or less; if the system fails, the wing returns to Corner Mode. The names replace the earlier X-mode and Z-mode.
Source: api.fia.comBoth wings are active, and both are smaller
The front wing has a two-element active flap and is 100 mm narrower. The rear wing has three elements, with the lower beam wing removed and simpler endplates. DRS is gone.
Source: fia.comStraight Mode is a place, not a gap
The mode is used at set points on the circuit, expected on straights of about three seconds or more, and any driver may use it regardless of the gap to the car ahead. The wings close automatically on braking or when the driver lifts off. In wet or caution conditions only part of the active aero may be used.
Source: formula1.comOvertake Mode replaces DRS
A car within one second of the car ahead at the detection point earns 0.5 MJ of extra electrical energy for the next lap. It comes with two other driver tools: Boost, a manual electric deployment, and Recharge, which harvests energy under braking, on lift and on part throttle.
Source: formula1.comMGU-K rises to 350 kW
The electric motor is capped at 350 kW, up from 120 kW in 2025, and may harvest up to 8.5 MJ per lap (plus 0.5 MJ with Overtake Mode), up from about 2 MJ. Deployment fades above 290 km/h and stops at 345 km/h, or 355 km/h in override mode.
Source: fia.comA near 50/50 power split, and no MGU-H
About half of peak power is now electric, against roughly a fifth in 2025. The MGU-H, which recovered heat energy from the turbo and was rated at 75 kW, is removed.
Source: mercedesamgf1.comA smaller engine contribution
The 1.6 litre V6 turbo engine drops from 550 to 560 kW to about 400 kW.
Source: fia.comA 4 MJ battery window
The energy store's state of charge may swing by at most 4 MJ on track, and the main enclosure must weigh at least 35 kg. At 350 kW, a full 4 MJ burst lasts about 11 seconds.
Source: fia.comSmaller, lighter cars
Wheelbase is at most 3,400 mm (200 mm shorter) and the car is 1,900 mm wide (100 mm narrower). Minimum mass is 724 kg plus the nominal tyre mass, about 770 kg in all.
Source: api.fia.comAdvanced sustainable fuel
Every car runs on advanced sustainable fuel. Fuel use is metered by energy flow rather than by mass, which lets fuels with more energy per kilogram be used.
Source: fia.comNarrower, lighter tyres
Front tyres are 25 mm narrower (280 mm, from 305 mm) and rears 30 mm narrower (375 mm, from 405 mm), with diameters 15 mm and 10 mm smaller. The rim stays at 18 inches, a set of four tyres is 1.6 kg lighter, and the softest compound, C6, is dropped.
Source: press.pirelli.comLess ground effect, a narrower floor
The floor is 150 mm narrower and only partially flat, with a lower-powered diffuser. The front wheel arches are removed and part of the wheel bodywork is mandated to control wheel wake.
Source: formula1.comAero targets: less downforce, much less drag
The FIA and F1 quote downforce down about 30% and drag down about 55% against 2022 to 2025 cars. They do not say whether the 55% is for the whole lap or for Straight Mode only. An earlier Motorsport.com report put it nearer 40%.
Source: fia.comFollowing another car should hurt less
About 20 m behind another car, roughly 70% of downforce is retained today. The FIA is targeting about 90% for 2026.
Source: racefans.net