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F1 has revealed the official vocabulary that will be used to reference the technical complexities of its upcoming 2026 technical rules.

The championship is implementing what is potentially the largest rules overhaul in its competitive history for the 2026 campaign, featuring new chassis and engine rules and the required adoption of 100% sustainable fuels.

The revised engines, which keep the hybrid V6 layout, boast a greatly enhanced battery power, driving significant developments in the vehicles' aerodynamic design.

Over a race distance, pilots will carefully oversee battery power – potentially on hot laps – to secure the optimal performance.

Extensive fan consultation were conducted with a diverse audience, including new, casual and core fans, to identify which phrases would aid comprehension of the central aspects of the new regulations.

The key objective was to make a set of intricate features of the racing as straightforward as possible for the widest audience.

Consequently, previous placeholder terms for specific components – such as "x-mode and z-mode" for the moveable wings – have been discarded in preference for straightforward terms that succinctly convey the actual function of the innovation.

What's the New Technology?

Regulators explain that drivers will have more power to make decisions regarding energy deployment, regeneration, and saving energy.

The 2026 rules mandate a set of functions that will be visually displayed on TV overlays to aid the viewers' comprehension of the strategic duel.

• Overtake Mode: This supersedes the current DRS. It provides a surge of additional ERS power available when a competitor is less than a second the car ahead to facilitate an pass.
• Boost Mode: This is a on-demand power boost from the ERS that can be utilized during overtaking or defending. It provides the driver 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 capped.

• Active Aero: Both the car's wings move automatically – spreading on the long straight sections for reduced drag and top speed, and sealing in the corners for maximum downforce.
• Energy Harvesting: Cars can replenish their battery with energy harvested under braking, or during partial power application at the end of straights or in certain corners where only partial power is applied.

Car Design Evolution

The next-generation machines will be more compact and lighter compared to the 2025 spec, with a car length reduced by 200mm to 3,400mm, width reduced by 100mm – down to 1,900mm – and the lowest permissible weight reduced by 30kg.

Overall downforce is expected to drop by approximately 15-30%, although squads will undoubtedly recover some as they develop their cars.

Aerodynamic drag has been slashed by 40%. The vehicles will employ adjustable aero systems – both wings will move on the straight sections to improve speed and enhance velocity and revert into place for peak handling.

Tyres will keep the current rim size, but the tyres themselves will be slimmer, by a quarter-centimetre on the front and 30 millimetres on the rear axle.

2026 Engine Regulations

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 20% battery contribution under present rules.

The energy recovery system is simplified through the deletion of the Motor Generator Unit – Heat, the complicated and costly device that recovered energy from the turbo.

All vehicles will be obliged to compete on carbon-neutral fuel, created from biomass or lab-created processes.