Domenicali drops ‘form book ripped up’ F1 2026 tease as new regs loom

Jamie Woodhouse 21 Dec 2025 12:00 PM

The 2026 season will bring all-new chassis and power unit regulations into Formula 1.

Stefano Domenicali, the Formula 1 president and CEO, has suggested that the “form book” will be “ripped up” with the arrival of the new F1 2026 regulations.

Smaller, lighter cars, increased electrification and active aerodynamics are among the changes on the way. Domenicali is predicting constant change in the pecking order, with a “fast and intense development race” on the cards.

Domenicali predicts evolving F1 2026 landscape

The ground effect regulations which had been in place since 2022, and the engines since 2014, have bowed out of the sport. From F1 2026, there are wholesale changes on both fronts.

The cars are due to become smaller and 30 kilograms lighter, and will utilise active aero on both wings. That means the Drag Reduction System [DRS] heads into retirement.

As for the new engines, those will feature a 50/50 split between electrical and internal combustion power. The increased electrification means that energy management is expected to become a critical performance factor.

The internal combustion engine will operate on fully sustainable biofuel in a further intriguing change.

Even the tyres will be different. The new Pirelli compounds will be 25 millimeters narrower at the front and 30mm at the rear.

Such sweeping changes create opportunity. Will the teams which ended F1’s previous era endure to remain on top, or, will the winds of change blow?

Domenicali is expecting the latter, and not just at the start of F1 2026.

“We will see brand-new cars with revised power units, which run advanced sustainable fuels,” Domenicali said of F1 2026 in a piece for the Formula 1 website.

“The form book will be ripped up. The pecking order will be up in the air.

“And at the end of the day, the track will show where all the teams stack up. I’m pretty sure where you will rank in the first race, won’t be where you rank at the end of the year, so fast and intense will be the development race.”

Key F1 2026 details via PlanetF1.com

F1 2026: Confirmed teams and power unit suppliers for F1’s huge regulation changes

F1 2026 driver line-up: What is the complete grid for the 2026 season?

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The arrival of Audi and Cadillac represents further F1 2026 change, while a new venue joins the calendar.

The Madring street track in Madrid will take over as host of the Spanish Grand Prix.

It was also announced recently that the Portuguese Grand Prix at Portimão will be back from 2027.

“Next year we will have Madrid joining the family and we are discussing with other countries about joining, too,” Domenicali noted. “Many want to be part of our show.

“We are working hard to evolve the schedule so that it is the more sustainable, too, in terms of the flow of races.”

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