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F1 has introduced the new vocabulary that will be used to explain the technical complexities of its upcoming 2026 technical rules.

The sport is introducing what is potentially the largest regulation change in its competitive history next season, featuring new chassis and engine rules and the compulsory introduction of 100% sustainable fuels.

The updated 1.6-litre V6 turbo hybrids, which keep the hybrid V6 layout, boast a greatly enhanced electrical capacity, necessitating significant developments in the vehicles' aerodynamic design.

Throughout races, drivers will carefully oversee battery power – potentially on hot laps – to achieve the best lap time.

Broad surveys were conducted with a mix of viewers, including new, casual and core fans, to determine which terminology would aid comprehension of the central aspects of the upcoming rules.

The key objective was to render a range of advanced new areas of the sport as easy to grasp as possible for the widest audience.

Consequently, initial designations for certain devices – such as "x-mode and z-mode" for the moveable wings – have been discarded in favor of intuitive labels that directly explain the primary purpose of the innovation.

Key Technical Innovations

According to rule-makers that racers will have more power to choose strategies regarding battery management, energy recovery, and efficiency.

The upcoming changes mandate a series of modes that will be shown on TV overlays to enhance the audience's understanding of the race battle.

• Overtake Mode: This replaces the present overtaking aid. It provides a short boost of battery power deployable when a competitor is within one second the car ahead to execute an pass.
• Boost Mode: This is a driver-operated power boost from the ERS that can be utilized during offensive or defensive moves. It grants the pilot peak output at the click of a switch.

Both of these key functions will have to be used with calculation, as the available electrical charge is strictly limited.

• Adjustable Aero: Both the front and rear wings move automatically – flattening on the long straight sections for minimal air resistance and increased velocity, and sealing in the bends for peak grip.
• Energy Harvesting: Cars can harvest energy with regenerative braking, or during throttle lift at the straight's end or in corners where only limited engine output is used.

2026 Car Specifications

The vehicles for the new era will be smaller and lighter relative to current models, with a distance between axles shortened by 200mm to 3,400mm, car width narrowed by 100mm – down to 1,900mm – and the minimum weight decreased by 30kg.

Overall downforce is anticipated to be reduced by approximately 15-30%, although squads will inevitably claw this back as they refine their designs.

Air resistance has been slashed by 40%. The cars will employ adjustable aero systems – both wings will open on the straight sections to reduce drag and enhance velocity and click back into place for optimal grip in corners.

Wheels will continue to use 18-inch wheel rims, but the tyres themselves will be reduced in width, by a quarter-centimetre on the front and three centimetres on the rear.

What's Changing in the Engines?

The new power units will have an roughly half-and-half distribution in horsepower generated by the petrol engine and the ERS, up from about one-fifth electric power under present rules.

The energy recovery system is streamlined through the removal of the complex turbo energy recovery device, the intricate and expensive component that recovered energy from the turbocharger.

All vehicles will be obliged to compete on 100% sustainable fuel, produced using biomass or synthetic production methods.