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Formula 1 has introduced the official vocabulary that will be used to reference the advanced features of its new 2026 technical rules.

The championship is implementing what is considered the most significant technical shift in its competitive history next season, featuring revised car and engine specifications and the required adoption of fully sustainable fuels.

The updated 1.6-litre V6 turbo hybrids, which maintain the 1.6-litre V6 configuration, boast a significantly increased electrical capacity, driving key advancements in the vehicles' aerodynamic design.

Throughout races, competitors will strategically manage ERS energy – potentially on flying laps – to achieve the optimal performance.

Extensive fan consultation were carried out with a diverse audience, including dedicated enthusiasts and casual observers, to understand which phrases would improve understanding of the main elements of the 2026 changes.

The stated goal was to render a range of advanced new areas of the racing as easy to grasp as possible for the broadest viewership.

Consequently, older technical labels for certain devices – such as "alphabetical mode names" for the adjustable aero – have been phased out in favour of straightforward terms that directly explain the actual function of the innovation.

What's the New Technology?

Regulators explain that racers will have increased agency to determine tactics regarding power usage, regeneration, and efficiency.

The upcoming changes mandate a set of functions that will be clearly indicated on television graphics to improve the audience's understanding of the strategic duel.

• Passing Mode: This takes over from the present overtaking aid. It provides a surge of additional ERS power available when a car is less than a second the car ahead to assist with an pass.
• Boost Mode: This is a driver-operated power boost from the ERS that can be deployed for overtaking or defending. It provides the pilot maximum power at the click of a switch.

Both of these crucial modes will have to be managed carefully, as the available electrical charge is capped.

• Adjustable Aero: Both the front and rear wings change configuration – opening on the straights for low aerodynamic resistance and higher speed, and closing in the turns for maximum downforce.
• Recharge: Drivers can replenish their battery with regenerative braking, or during coasting at the conclusion of a straight or in corners where only partial power is used.

2026 Car Specifications

The vehicles for the new era will be reduced in size and weight relative to current models, with a wheelbase reduced by 200mm to 3,400mm, overall width cut by 100mm – down to 1,900mm – and the lowest permissible weight lowered by 30kg.

Cumulative downforce is expected to drop by approximately fifteen to thirty percent, although constructors will naturally regain performance as they optimize their packages.

Air resistance has been cut by 40%. The vehicles will feature moveable wing elements – front and rear wings will move on the straight sections to cut resistance and boost top speed and click back into place for peak handling.

Pirelli tyres will retain 18-inch wheel rims, but the rubber compounds will be reduced in width, by a quarter-centimetre on the front and three centimetres on the rear.

Power Unit Revolution

The revised hybrid units will have an roughly half-and-half distribution in horsepower generated by the ICE and the battery and motor, increasing from about 20% battery contribution in the current formula.

The ERS setup is made less complex through the removal of the Motor Generator Unit – Heat, the sophisticated and pricey component that generated electricity from the turbocharger.

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