Massive Rule Changes Reshape the Entire Grid
The 2025 season closes with McLaren sweeping both championships, but 2026 delivers a dramatic reset. Formula 1 introduces sweeping new rules and welcomes an 11th team. A major British sports publication outlines what fans should expect as the sport enters a new era.
The upcoming regulations deliver the biggest overhaul in years. Cars become 30 kilograms lighter, ten centimetres narrower and far more efficient. Power units shift to a near 50-50 split between electric and combustion output. Fully sustainable fuels also arrive.
Nobody knows how racing will change. The sport has never altered chassis and engine rules so drastically at the same time. Aerodynamics shift too. The 1.6-litre V6 hybrid stays, but the MGU-H disappears and the electric share doubles.
These adjustments force fresh aerodynamic concepts. Ground-effect tunnels vanish. Movable wings appear front and rear to raise straight-line speed and allow stronger energy harvesting under braking. Drivers worry that these changes could greatly affect handling.
The combustion engine will frequently act as a generator and may reach maximum revs in some corners. DRS disappears because the rear wing gains a new role. A push-to-pass system replaces it and provides brief bursts of electrical power.
Lewis Hamilton says he cannot predict the overall effect. He notes the cars feel very different and expects rain driving to become extremely demanding. Still, he hopes the final results will impress.
Young Brit Arvid Lindblad Joins the F1 Grid
Most drivers stay in place for 2026, but a few key moves stand out. One brings a new British rookie to the championship.
Isack Hadjar moves from Racing Bulls to partner Max Verstappen at Red Bull after scoring his first F1 podium at Zandvoort.
Arvid Lindblad, an 18-year-old Briton with Swedish and Indian heritage, takes Hadjar’s seat. He finished sixth in Formula 2 with Campos Racing and now joins Liam Lawson next year.
Cadillac Becomes the Eleventh Team on the Grid
Cadillac enters the sport with support from General Motors.
The team opts for experience and signs Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez, who share 106 podiums.
Graeme Lowdon becomes team principal after previous roles at Virgin and Marussia.
The squad uses Ferrari engines for its first three seasons before switching to GM-developed power units in 2029.
Audi Rebrands Sauber and Joins as a Factory Team
Audi arrives differently from Cadillac and fully takes over the Swiss Sauber team, which placed ninth in 2025.
Audi develops its own engine for the new regulations. Jonathan Wheatley becomes team boss and works alongside Mattia Binotto, who leads the larger Audi F1 project.
Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto continue as the driver pairing for Audi’s debut season.
Ford Partners with Red Bull as Renault Bows Out
Red Bull begins a new engine partnership with Ford. Ford helps fund Red Bull’s power-unit programme for the 2026 rules.
This shift ends Red Bull’s long collaboration with Honda. Honda becomes the works supplier for Aston Martin, where Adrian Newey steps in as team principal after a major overhaul.
Renault ends its engine activities. Alpine now becomes a Mercedes customer team.
Madrid Joins the Calendar While Imola Leaves
The 2026 schedule again features 24 races. It opens in Australia in March and ends in Abu Dhabi in December. Spain hosts two races next year.
Madrid replaces Imola with a new hybrid circuit called the Madring. It blends public roads with private sections still under development.
The event runs from 11–13 September and ends the continuous European phase of the season.
Barcelona stays as the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix from 12–14 June.
Canada moves to 22–24 May to align with Miami, which runs from 1–3 May.
Monaco follows on 5–7 June.
Six sprint events return. Silverstone joins China, Miami, Canada, Zandvoort and Singapore, with Zandvoort hosting its final appearance.
