With the release of the new regulations, anticipation in the automotive world is growing by the minute formula 1 This promises to change the competitive landscape within the category. One of the topics that generates the greatest interest is knowledge of the impacts New models are intended to promote overtaking between cars.
In this context, the FIA single-seater boss said, Nikolas Tombazisrevealed that They will have “levers” to promote or reduce the mechanisms for advancing in the races. “We’re still refining it. As we get more and more final simulations, We have levers that we can adjust from a regulatory perspective“, he warned the specialist media The race.
The aim of this system, which they will introduce in 2026, is to maintain tension in the races, making overtaking easier but also giving opportunities to whoever has the advantage to fight for position: “So, For example, if we find that overtaking is a little too difficult, we have levers to make it a little easier. Or if we think it’s too easy, we have leverage to make it a little more difficult“.
Tombazis had foreseen this The search will be to encourage overtaking “in a narrow margin”. and clarified: “You can’t be too simple. We don’t want the cars to progress without a fight. We always want there to be a fight“Although at the same time he made it clear: “But we don’t want it to be impossible either. So if they leave the starting grid after the first lap, you already know how it will turn out.” It’s clear that we don’t want that either.”
From January 26th to 30th, the new generation cars will officially go to the race track for the first time as part of the private tests at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmeló to experience the first sensations with the renewed models. “We still have a long way to go in both directions. And when we have the first running simulations and the last ones with cars, we may need to use some of them to make small adjustments.“, he remarked.
In addition to the redesign of the vehicles, which are becoming lighter and smaller, the main innovations in the new technical regulations focus on the drive (combustion and electric motors deliver the same amount of power) and the overtaking modes that will begin to determinewith active aerodynamics as another central point on straights and curves.
As far as overtaking developments are concerned, DRS has been replaced by Overtake. This mode allows pilots Use additional electrical energy to defeat opponentsHowever, under the condition that the distance to the vehicle in front at the detection point is less than one second – similar to the DRS activation procedure. In contrast to the previous version, in this case the The advantage lies in the electrical impulse and not the opening of the rear wing.
The other points related to energy management focus on the Thrust (impulse) and Charge (Charge). Pilots can decide on the first of these two modes In what part of the round do they use the available energy of the ERS system to attack or defend?while the second option refers to charging the battery during the race.
Nikolas Tombazis pointed out that, apart from the fact that the latter aspects (Boost and Recharge) were already taken into account in the latest regulations, these differences will represent a factor of uncertainty in the first races. “There will be energy differences which can mean that a car may not be able to defend its position well.. “But we believe that as teams and drivers get used to a certain way of doing things, it will ensure that they are not completely vulnerable to a certain situation,” he argued.
He even assured that it could cause difficulties for some drivers: “If we suddenly took these 22 cars and put them on the grid now and told them to start racing today, I’m sure we would find situations where people are not yet fully prepared or fully optimized. But I think once people know how to use that, they can make sure they’re not an easy target on the right path.”
This is the revolution of new regulations and changes in the work of pilots Three pre-season tests will take place before the official start of the 2026 championshipif it is normal to do a single three-day test. After the first in Barcelona, which will be the only one held behind closed doors, two more training sessions will follow, both in Bahrain: from Wednesday February 11th to Friday February 13th and from Wednesday February 18th to Friday February 20th of the same month. The Australian Grand Prix, which marks the start of Formula 1, will take place on March 8th at the Albert Park Circuit.
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