2026 rule changes: 'F1 wants to stop early starters'
F1 News
- GPblog.com
2023 marks only the second year of racing with the new generation of F1 cars introduced in 2022. New rule changes are scheduled for 2026, and that season is closer than it seems. F1 teams are already gauging development strategy for 2026, and there is likely to be agreement on a rule that will hamper early starters.
With the budget cap instituted in F1, planning ahead for development strategy is more important than ever. Before the big rule change of 2026, when engines will change dramatically, teams want to be prepared in the best possible way. That will affect the cars of the next two years. Auto Motor und Sport explained.
AMuS quotes Mercedes chief James Allison: "The cards will be completely reshuffled. Everything that happened before no longer counts. Everyone starts with a blank sheet of paper." And that is a major source of hope for Red Bull Racing's rivals, who are unlikely to beat the team led by Christian Horner in the coming years.
Putting enough time, material and money into the 2026 cars will require efficient development of 2024 and 2025, Allison says. The cars of those two seasons will be very similar. Therefore, the development currently underway at the F1 teams for next year's car is crucial. For Formula 1 tech enthusiasts, there may be little new to discover in 2024 and 2025.
Will early starters be stopped?
A good example of a team that seems to have already lined up its plan for 2026 is Alfa Romeo, which will participate as Sauber from next year before appearing as the Audi F1 team at the start of 2026. AMuS reports that Andreas Seidl has stated that hardly any work will be done on that year's car in 2025.
This seems to give F1 teams reason to intervene and stop teams who want to start even earlier from developing the 2026 car. The Medium writes that the F1 teams' technical chiefs have held consultations in recent weeks on the development of the 2026 car. A majority reportedly agreed that the aerodynamic development of the 2026 car in the wind tunnel should not begin before 2025. There is no confirmation of this yet, but the decision would only need ratification from the FIA and the F1 Commission.