FIA head of single seaters Nikolas Tombazis has outlined how F1’s governing body is looking to improve the quality of racing with the 2026 technical regulation shift. Max Verstappen had previously questioned the negative effect that the proposed changes could have on wheel-to-wheel action.
The FIA introduced the current regulation changes off the back of the incredible 2021 title fight with the intention of improving cars’ ability to follow in the dirty air, changing the source of downforce production to ground effect.
Outlining his complaints earlier this season, Verstappen stated: “The cars probably have a lot less drag so it will be even harder to overtake on the straight. Then you have the active aerodynamics, which you [as the driver] can’t control, the system will control it for you. It makes it very awkward to drive because I prefer to control it myself.
“Of course, when you are behind someone maybe you need more front or more rear, this kind of thing. If the system starts to control that for you, I don’t think that’s the right way forward. Plus the weight is going up again. So, yeah, we have to seriously look at this, because ’26 is not that far away.
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“It looks very bad, from all the numbers and what I see from the data already. It’s not something I am very excited about at the moment. It looks very bad, from all the numbers and what I see from the data already. It’s not something I am very excited about at the moment.”
However, the FIA believe that their proposed changes will contribute to the cars becoming more ‘nimble’, thus improving the ability of drivers to battle side-by-side on track. The current generation of cars is extremely heavy, placing limitations on wheel-to-wheel combat.
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Speaking to Autosport, Tombazis explained: “We aim to have a significantly lower weight limit, and we are looking to reduce the weight limit by 40 to 50 kilos in 2026. The way we want to do that is related to what we’ve termed the ‘nimble car’ concept.
“Because we basically feel that in recent years the cars have become a bit too bulky and too heavy. This lower downforce means that a lot of the loading on components, such as suspension, will reduce and that will enable the teams to reduce the weight consequentially.”
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