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Formula 1 has unveiled the official vocabulary that will be used to explain the advanced features of its revolutionary 2026 regulations.

The championship is introducing what is potentially the largest technical shift in its long history next season, featuring new chassis and engine rules and the required adoption of fully sustainable fuels.

The updated 1.6-litre V6 turbo hybrids, which retain the 1.6-litre V6 turbo hybrid, boast a substantially higher energy storage, requiring key advancements in the vehicles' aerodynamic design.

Throughout races, competitors will carefully oversee electrical energy – including during hot laps – to achieve the best result.

Wide-ranging research were conducted with a wide range of fans, including new, casual and core fans, to identify which terminology would aid comprehension of the central aspects of the upcoming rules.

The key objective was to make a set of intricate new areas of the racing as accessible as possible for the widest audience.

Consequently, initial designations for certain devices – such as "modes labelled X and Z" for the moveable wings – have been discarded in preference for intuitive labels that directly explain the primary purpose of the technology.

What's the New Technology?

According to rule-makers that drivers will have more power to determine tactics regarding power usage, harvesting, and efficiency.

The upcoming changes introduce a set of functions that will be clearly indicated on broadcast screens to aid the audience's understanding of the race battle.

• Overtake Mode: This takes over from the existing Drag Reduction System. It provides a surge of additional ERS power deployable when a competitor is close behind the leading car to assist with an overtaking maneuver.
• Extra Push Mode: This is a driver-operated energy deployment from the energy recovery system that can be used in overtaking or defending. It delivers the driver full engine and battery energy at the activation of a control.

Both of these crucial modes will have to be used with calculation, as the total energy is capped.

• Active Aero: Both the front and rear wings change configuration – opening on the high-speed sections for low aerodynamic resistance and top speed, and angling down in the bends for peak grip.
• Battery Recharge: Cars can recharge the energy store with energy harvested under braking, or during coasting at the conclusion of a straight or in certain corners where only partial power is used.

What's Changing on the Cars?

The vehicles for the new era will be reduced in size and weight compared to the 2025 spec, with a distance between axles shortened by 200mm to 3,400mm, width cut by 100mm – down to 1,900mm – and the lowest permissible weight decreased by 30kg.

Total aerodynamic grip is expected to drop by approximately a significant margin, although constructors will naturally regain performance as they optimize their packages.

Air resistance has been cut by 40%. The cars will employ moveable wing elements – front and rear wings will move on the straights to improve speed and enhance velocity and click back into place for optimal grip in corners.

Pirelli tyres will keep 18-inch rims, but the actual tyres will be narrower, by a quarter-centimetre on the front and three centimetres on the rear.

Power Unit Revolution

The revised hybrid units will have an approximate 50-50 split in power produced by the petrol engine and the electrical system, increasing from about one-fifth electric power under present rules.

The energy recovery system is simplified through the removal of the Motor Generator Unit – Heat, the intricate and expensive component that recovered energy from the exhaust turbo.

All vehicles will be required to run on carbon-neutral fuel, created from biomass or synthetic industrial processes.