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F1 2026


PTR said:
Formula 1 2026 Calendar

DateGrand PrixVenue
6–8 MarchAustralian Grand PrixMelbourne
13–15 MarchChinese Grand Prix (Sprint)Shanghai
27–29 MarchJapanese Grand PrixSuzuka
10–12 AprilBahrain Grand PrixSakhir
17–19 AprilSaudi Arabian Grand PrixJeddah
1–3 MayMiami Grand Prix (Sprint)Miami
22–24 MayCanadian Grand Prix (Sprint)Montreal
5–7 JuneMonaco Grand PrixMonaco
12–14 JuneBarcelona Grand PrixBarcelona-Catalunya
26–28 JuneAustrian Grand PrixSpielberg
3–5 JulyBritish Grand Prix (Sprint)Silverstone
17–19 JulyBelgian Grand PrixSpa-Francorchamps
24–26 JulyHungarian Grand PrixBudapest
21–23 AugustDutch Grand Prix (Sprint)Zandvoort
4–6 SeptemberItalian Grand PrixMonza
11–13 SeptemberSpanish Grand PrixMadrid
24–26 SeptemberAzerbaijan Grand PrixBaku
9–11 OctoberSingapore Grand Prix (Sprint)Singapore
23–25 OctoberUnited States Grand PrixAustin
30 October–1 NovemberMexican Grand PrixMexico City
6–8 NovemberSão Paulo Grand PrixSão Paulo
19–21 NovemberLas Vegas Grand PrixLas Vegas
27–29 NovemberQatar Grand PrixLusail
4–6 DecemberAbu Dhabi Grand PrixYas Marina

Driver Line Ups
Red Bull: Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar
Ferrari: Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton
Williams: Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon
Racing Bulls: Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad
Aston Martin: Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll
Haas: Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman
Audi: Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto
Alpine: Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto
Cadillac: Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas

New Regulations for 2026
  • Smaller & Lighter: Cars get shorter (20cm), narrower (10cm), with a shorter wheelbase (3400mm) and reduced floor width, cutting weight by 30kg to a minimum of 768kg.
  • Active Aero: Movable front and rear wings replace DRS, with "Z-mode" for cornering downforce and "X-mode" for straight-line speed.
  • Reduced Downforce/Drag: Aiming for 30% less downforce and 55% less drag for better racing.
  • Narrower Tires: 18-inch wheels remain, but front tires are 25mm narrower, rears 30mm narrower.
  • 50/50 Split: Balanced power between the V6 internal combustion engine (ICE) and electric power.
  • Sustainable Fuel: 100% sustainable fuels will be used.
  • Boosted Electric Power: Significantly more electrical power for the MGU-K (braking recovery).
  • MGU-H Removed: Simplifies the engine and lowers costs for new manufacturers.
  • Manual Override: A strategic "overtake button" for extra electric power.
  • Enhanced Safety: Stronger crash structures, improved side intrusion protection, and two-stage nose design.
  • More Overtaking: Changes aim to make cars more capable of following closely, reducing "dirty air".
Nice summary video
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And then in recent news, changes made to the regs in recent weeks
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And if you want to know more about the "engine"? Well, its never been more valid to snub the term "engine" in favour of "Power Unit"
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Who are we picking then? I've got absolutely no idea - new aero, new engines, new EV elements - its a total reset. I have a sneaky feeling Aston will do well, and Williams could find themselves in the top half rather than the midfield.

The more I hear about the PU and Active Aero systems, the more I think its become very gimmicky though. Press this button, then that one, then the other - doesn't seem like racing to me. And race control will be constantly farting on with which aero options you can use at any given time.
But fingers crossed for good racing, despite it all
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Only 9 teams this season.
Mclaren banned :lol:
 
chunkyshanhawk53 said:
Thanks. Any tips on specific races? The must do or must not do? City track or out of town track?
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Just do Silverstone, it’s expensive but it’s usually one of the best races of the season
Merc, Aston, McLaren and Williams to do well. Ferrari will be horrific as usual. RB a bit of an unknown but the noises haven’t been that positive.

I can see Ferrari being proper midfield team next season
 
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L18SFC said:
I can see Ferrari being proper midfield team next season
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If they are obvious option is for Hamilton to call it a do but what I’d be interested in is does Leclerc say enough is enough, he’s in danger of being one of the best to not win a championship as it stands imo
 
Going to be interesting to see how the FIA handles this. Rumour is Red Bull have a way of fixing their engine so it is legal this season leaving just the Mercs in proper trouble if the FIA crack down on it.

It was only October the rules were amended to add how it would be tested, before this all the rule said was the compression ratio must be 16:1. Merc has chosen to develop an engine it knew broke this black and white rule.
 
MadMackem10 said:
Going to be interesting to see how the FIA handles this. Rumour is Red Bull have a way of fixing their engine so it is legal this season leaving just the Mercs in proper trouble if the FIA crack down on it.

It was only October the rules were amended to add how it would be tested, before this all the rule said was the compression ratio must be 16:1. Merc has chosen to develop an engine it knew broke this black and white rule.
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It's within the rules though, as they are written. At testing condition, it's compliant.

Same as tyre pressures, they are measured at a certain temperature.

It's not just merc impacted here, they supply 4 teams this year. If they've done something clever but within the rules, isn't that what we all say we want to see? Fan car, 6 wheeler, Das etc.
 
PTR said:
It's within the rules though, as they are written. At testing condition, it's compliant.

Same as tyre pressures, they are measured at a certain temperature.

It's not just merc impacted here, they supply 4 teams this year. If they've done something clever but within the rules, isn't that what we all say we want to see? Fan car, 6 wheeler, Das etc.
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My issue is the writing of the rules has changed very recently. Under the current rules I agree its compliant.

When the rule was first written all it said was:

Compression ratio must not exceed 16:1

Based on that rule the merc engine is not compliant. The testing conditions part of the rule was only added in october. By this point the engines heavily developed and the teams who developed their engine to be compliant to the original rules are screwed.
 
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The whole rumour reads a bit like fiction to me. Just the level of detail we've got, and if apparently knowing that Mercedes can't get around it, but Red Bull can.

This is an era where Mercedes rolled out the zero pods on the first day of testing to widespread shock.

My guess is that this is either not that important or not actually true. If it was key, Red Bull and Mercedes would have kept it quiet.
 
MadMackem10 said:
Going to be interesting to see how the FIA handles this. Rumour is Red Bull have a way of fixing their engine so it is legal this season leaving just the Mercs in proper trouble if the FIA crack down on it.

It was only October the rules were amended to add how it would be tested, before this all the rule said was the compression ratio must be 16:1. Merc has chosen to develop an engine it knew broke this black and white rule.
Click to expand...

"Change your f***ing car"
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Sounds like the compression trick has been passed as legal. As it should, rules are rules.

No doubt they'll be changed, and that's fine too long as there's reasonable time to make the adjustment.
 
Top of my list of ones I want to go to Is Baku. Not sure I’ll make it in 2026 but hopefully within the next two or three years…
 
PTR said:
Sounds like the compression trick has been passed as legal. As it should, rules are rules.

No doubt they'll be changed, and that's fine too long as there's reasonable time to make the adjustment.
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During stationary tests, Mercedes and Red Bull – like other manufacturers – will be within the 16:0 limit. However, thanks to the thermal expansion of specific components, a higher ratio can be achieved whilst on track.

This is just one aspect of success in F1. I’m sure Adrian has been bringing his own spell binding AERO genius to AM.

As the saying goes, “the bullshit stops when the flags drops”

Well actually when 5 LED lights are extinguished but you get my drift.
 
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This is exactly what I've said all along.

How F1 teams broke the ground effect era - The Race
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PTR said:
This is exactly what I've said all along.

How F1 teams broke the ground effect era - The Race
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Click to expand...
Was on my phone when I posted that last night, but now I can type....

It agrees with everything I said about the last-regs doing exactly what they were supposed to do - the cars COULD follow directly behind eachother and race, just like what we'd all been asking for. And the regs did have provision to ban anything that created dirty air behind the cars, just that once Brawn left, nobody enforced those regs, and so the clever folks in the factories figured out how to make their cars quicker, like they always do, and nobody stopped them from breaking the dirty air plan.

The regs were really good. Just as per usual, nobody following the f***ing rules. Its the same again and again where the rules aren't either clear or aren't applied.
 
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I’d quite like to see a less regulated F1.

So stipulate an engine size and maybe weight max/min but then let them go wild.

Fuel tanks - out ya like it can hold a pint or 200 gallons !

Fuel flow - owt ya like. Turbo? Aye if ya fancy.

And absolutely no electric/hybrid tripe. Just stick a geet big V10 in the back and let’s have the screaming banshee howl back.

Just a thought.
 
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