In three years, Formula 1 is waiting for another revolution. In 2026, next-generation power plants and active aerodynamics will appear. The details are still being discussed, but the goal is a controlled reduction in the drag of vehicles to increase their efficiency.
Nicolas Tombasis, FIA Technical Director: “We want to achieve better fuel economy on every lap by increasing the role of electric motors and reducing the role of the internal combustion engine.
We can’t burn that much fuel every lap. In order for a car to consume less fuel, it must have less frontal resistance, spend less of it on overcoming air resistance. At the same time, we do not want to slow down in corners, so the obvious solution would be the use of active aerodynamics, which reduces the drag of cars on straight lines.
We are looking for a solution similar to DRS, but working all the time. The task is difficult, in fact we are talking about two switchable levels of drag, plus DRS. I think DRS will still remain in 2026.
Active suspension? It could help, but with less effect than active aerodynamics. In addition, active suspension can have its own problems. We want riders to have a hard time handling the car, we want to keep the challenge, and the active suspension would allow them to change balance easily.”