2026 F1 Rules Set: Technical Blueprint Unveiled

The FIA has approved 2026 F1 regulations, revealing finalized designs and key updates set to shape the sport’s future.

F1 and the FIA have officially ratified the 2026 technical regulations, which will be distributed to teams starting early January.

The governing body, during its final World Motor Sport Council meeting of the year yesterday, released sketches of the finalized concept for the 2026 F1 cars under these rules (photos above and below). Certain areas of freedom have been left to the teams, similar to the approach taken with the 2022 F1 cars.

Additionally, the FIA has begun reforming its regulations to improve clarity. From 2026, a new section called Operational Regulations will be introduced, alongside the existing Sporting, Technical, and Financial Regulations.

“The new section will regulate certain F1 team activities outside the race weekend,” the FIA stated in a press release. “For this initial version, some elements historically included in the Sporting Regulations have been transferred, such as limitations on aerodynamic testing, power unit testing, and mandatory factory shutdown periods.”

In recent years, the FIA introduced restrictions in these areas to reduce team expenses and ensure staff have adequate rest periods between competitions. This has become essential as the F1 calendar reaches a record 24 races this year.

The FIA also replaced gendered terminology with neutral language in its Formula 2 and Formula 3 regulations last year. For instance, a previous passage reading, “the stewards may disqualify him from the race,” now states, “the stewards may disqualify the driver from the race.”

The World Motor Sport Council confirmed that the same change has now been applied to F1 regulations. While all three championships are open to both sexes, women have competed in F2 and F3 in recent seasons, but none have raced in F1 since 1992. The last woman to take part in an F1 race weekend, during a practice session, was Susie Wolff in 2015.

Additional changes were approved for next year’s rules, including regulations addressing “heat-related risks,” which will require drivers to wear cooling equipment in extreme weather conditions.

The financial regulations for 2025 and 2026 have also been updated to exclude certain activities from the budget cap, encouraging the adoption of more sustainable (albeit more costly) environmental practices.