Power unit
The 2026 power unit is a 1.6L V6 hybrid with the electric-to-internal split moved to roughly 50/50, up from 20/80 in 2025. Active aero and a much larger ERS allow the cars to recover energy on long straights where they previously lost time. The MGU-H is gone — only the MGU-K stays — making electrical efficiency the central engineering problem.
Aerodynamics
Lower drag overall, with active aero on both the front and rear wings. Wings flatten on the straights to reduce drag, then return to high-downforce shape for corners. Floor regulations tighten to suppress porpoising; bodywork dimensions narrow.
Weight
Minimum weight drops to 768 kg, the first reduction since the hybrid era began. This is the lightest cars have been since 2016 and the model treats it as a partial reset for drivers who were physically penalised by 2022-25's heavier cars.
Tyres
Pirelli's new construction has a narrower operating window. The compound steps between C1 and C5 are larger; the C3 is no longer the default. Mandatory pit windows survive, but the two-stop is no longer the dominant strategy on most circuits.
Sprint format
Six sprint weekends, unchanged from 2024-25. Sprint Shootout on Friday, Sprint on Saturday morning, Qualifying Saturday afternoon, race Sunday. Sprint points unchanged (8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1).
Sustainable fuel
100% sustainable fuel is mandatory. Performance impact relative to 2025 is, by all measurements, negligible at race pace; some teams report a small impact on cold-start drivability.
Cost cap
Cap held at $135M. Capital expenditure allowances re-set for the new regulations. Penalties for breaches scale steeply.
How the model handles this: the 2026 reset means we apply a wider posterior to all team priors. The first six races re-learn the order; by mid-season the uncertainty bands return to their usual width.