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Formula 1 has revealed the simplified language that will be used to reference the intricate details of its upcoming 2026 technical rules.

The sport is embarking on what is potentially the biggest rules overhaul in its illustrious history next season, featuring revised car and engine specifications and the compulsory introduction of eco-friendly fuels.

The revised engines, which retain the 1.6-litre V6 turbo hybrid, boast a significantly increased energy storage, requiring major innovations in the vehicles' aerodynamic design.

Throughout races, competitors will tactically deploy ERS energy – sometimes even flying laps – to achieve the optimal lap time.

Wide-ranging research were carried out with a mix of viewers, including dedicated enthusiasts and casual observers, to determine which phrases would improve understanding of the main elements of the upcoming rules.

The key objective was to present a set of intricate new areas of the sport as straightforward as possible for the global fanbase.

Consequently, initial designations for certain devices – such as "alphabetical mode names" for the adjustable aero – have been phased out in favor of descriptive names that succinctly convey the primary purpose of the technology.

Exploring the New Tech

According to rule-makers that racers will have more power to choose strategies regarding battery management, harvesting, and efficiency.

The new regulations feature a range of settings that will be visually displayed on broadcast screens to aid the viewers' comprehension of the strategic duel.

• Attack Mode: This replaces the current DRS. It provides a short boost of battery power available when a car is within one second the vehicle in front to execute an pass.
• Power Mode: This is a driver-operated battery discharge from the energy recovery system that can be deployed for offensive or defensive moves. It provides the pilot maximum power at the activation of a control.

Both of these crucial modes will have to be deployed strategically, as the total energy is capped.

• Active Aero: Both the nose and rear wings move automatically – flattening on the straights for minimal air resistance and higher speed, and closing in the bends for maximum downforce.
• Recharge: The system can recharge the energy store with energy harvested under braking, or during coasting at the straight's end or in sections where only partial power is applied.

2026 Car Specifications

The next-generation machines will be reduced in size and weight than this year, with a wheelbase shortened by 200mm to 3,400mm, overall width cut by 100mm – down to 1,900mm – and the car weight lowered by 30kg.

Cumulative downforce is projected to decrease by approximately fifteen to thirty percent, although constructors will inevitably claw this back as they refine their designs.

Aerodynamic drag has been slashed by 40%. The vehicles will feature adjustable aero systems – front and rear wings will open on the straights to improve speed and increase straightline speed and revert into place for maximum cornering performance.

Wheels will continue to use 18-inch wheel rims, but the actual tyres will be narrower, by 25mm at the front and three centimetres on the rear.

What's Changing in the Engines?

The revised hybrid units will have an near-equal balance in horsepower generated by the internal combustion engine and the electrical system, up from about 20% electrical in the current formula.

The hybrid system is made less complex through the elimination of the Motor Generator Unit – Heat, the complicated and costly unit that harvested power from the turbo.

Every car on the grid will be obliged to compete on fully sustainable fuel, manufactured from biomass or synthetic industrial processes.