The FIA ​​reveals more details about the performance of the 2026 F1 car

Following concerns about the performance of the 2026 car, efforts were made to implement possible tweaks to improve performance. These tweaks have halved the performance gap, reducing the 2-second deficit between the new and current car to just one second.

A key aspect of the 2026 cars will be the equal balance between electric power and internal combustion, marking a significant change in Formula 1’s hybrid technology. The cars will also be lighter and more compact, with smaller wheels designed to give way to close races and exciting track action.

However, when the schematic plan for the 2026 car was revealed ahead of the race at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, it indicated that the future F1 car will be slower than current ground-effect cars by a significant two seconds, which is quite a lot in the racing world.

Now, however, the latest changes in the regulations have made it possible to reduce the gap by one second. Speaking on the matter, FIA single-seater director Nikolas Tombazis told the media:

“There has been an increase in the car’s performance of probably about 50 downforce points.

“This has taken performance from what was perhaps 40% less compared to today’s cars to about 15% downforce.

“In terms of performance, the resulting lap time of the cars is very close to current cars. All of this has been done as promised in June.”

Tombazis was then asked about the potential performance gap that might have existed if further changes to the regulations had not been made. He said:

“If we hadn’t made any changes after June, I guess it probably would have been about two seconds slower.”

Elaborating on the detailed changes planned for the 2026 car, which include increased downforce and other performance improvements, he added:

“The main changes in aerodynamics have been increasing the box where the front spoiler is located a little.

“We’ve also added the front wing fence and styling that was on the previous cars.

“We’ve added some space for devices in front of the front floor, like the sideboard and the entry edge of the sideboard. We’ve increased the size of the diffuser, which starts a little further forward and is a little bigger .

“We’ve redesigned some of the bodywork around the front wheels, and there’s still work in progress that can hopefully lead to some final adjustments at the next World Council to the rear bodywork and how it interacts with the diffuser in this area”.

The latest draft of the 2026 regulations introduces several key changes, particularly to the design of the front wing. These include expanding the box region allowed for front wing elements and increasing the thickness of the end plates. While the upgrades may not seem extensive, they offer significant potential for increased downforce in the next generation of cars. This is largely due to the interconnected nature of the changes, which affect the car’s aerodynamics from front to back, improving overall performance.