New rules, new cars, new teams: why F1 will be more unpredictable than ever in 2026

The 2025 season isn’t over any time soon lando norriscountry of title win in abu dhabi The focus is already on 2026 – and a whole new dawn in Formula One.

It’s an exciting period, especially for many teams who have been eyeing the ’26’ for some time. New engine and chassis rules threaten to shake up the pecking order, moving away from the ground-effect era of cars introduced in 2022.

Cadillac also has a new team joining the grid F1’s 11th teamWhile automotive giants like audi And Ford is back in the competition in different ways.

There’s more continuity next year as far as drivers are concerned max verstappen Once again there will be a new partner and there will be Another Briton on the grid In form of Arvid Lindblad – Britain is now in fifth place out of 22.

With just 87 days left until the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, The Independent explains why 2026 is set to be the most unpredictable season ever:

New rules, new cars and goodbye DRS

f1or F1’s governing body the FIA, refreshing its rules is nothing new, with the last major rule-change coming in 2022. Yet the scale of these latest revisions is significant – and perhaps the biggest change in the game’s history.

The most important aspect is the engine/power unit: the MGU-H, which recovered energy from the exhaust and turbo, has been removed and will now have a roughly 50/50 split between internal combustion power and electric power.

The actual engine is still a 1.6-litre V6 turbo hybrid, yet the proportion of power produced by the hybrid aspect of the engine has doubled to around 50%. The overall increase in electrical power is approximately 300%.

In addition, each team will run 100% sustainable fuel on their cars, which will be 30 kg lighter by 768 kg, 20 cm shorter in length and 10 cm narrower. Naturally, this should help racing on tight circuits.

Yet these changes also have an impact on aerodynamics, which is where we say goodbye to the DRS (Drag Reduction System) rear-wing that has been in the sport since 2011.

Instead, it will be replaced with a ‘Manual Override Engine Mode’ or ‘Push-to-Pass’ mode that provides a temporary boost in hybrid power. Although not yet confirmed, this will likely happen when within a second of the car in front.

The ground-effect cars of the last four years, much criticized by drivers for how difficult they were to follow, have been boxed in but the front and rear wings will now be movable.

The cars will have two modes at all times: X mode and Z mode.

X Mode means drivers can open the front and rear wing flaps at certain points on the racetrack, mostly straightaways, to increase speed by reducing drag. Z mode means those flaps will be closed, generating more downforce through the corners.

However, there are concerns that drivers will be forced to ‘lift and coast’ to recover energy – not directly pressing the foot hard on the accelerator. This is hardly ideal in a sport whose purpose is to showcase the world’s fastest single-seater cars.

So does this mean that the pecking order may be different?

Absolutely! Certainly many teams hope so. While you would expect teams like defending champions McLaren, Mercedes and Ferrari, the two outfits with the most intrigue attached to next season are Aston Martin and Williams.

Aston has signed up F1 design guru Adrian Newey to design next year’s cars and it was recently announced that the 66-year-old Will become team principal In 2026. Can Newey – and the Aston team now run by ex-Red Bull partner Honda – give Fernando Alonso the ultimate breakthrough in a third world championship?

Then there’s F1’s sleeping giant Williams, who has looked very impressive under James Walls last year. The ex-Mercedes strategist has made no secrets focus all attention on 2026 And with the top-tier driver pairing of Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon, hopes are high at Grove that they can challenge for regular podiums and wins in 2026.

The murmurs around the paddock at this stage suggest that Mercedes is currently in the lead. That’s music not only to George Russell’s ears, but also to the teams he provides engines for, like defending champions McLaren, Williams and new Alpine for 2026.

What about Max Verstappen’s chances of regaining his title?

Red Bull is a big unknown for 2026 because, for the first time, they are producing their own power unit in partnership with American giant Ford, who were last in the game in 2004 when they owned Jaguar. This is also their first season in the game without Christian Horner or Helmut Marko.

Building an engine at home is no easy task and the off-season will be very busy in Milton Keynes. We are likely to find out in the first few rounds of 2026 where Red Bull stands in the pecking order and, in turn, Max Verstappen’s chances of winning the title. However, if they are in no man’s land, it is highly likely that the Dutchman will turn his eyes elsewhere for 2027 and look to leave Red Bull after 11 years.

As the undisputed best driver on the grid, Verstappen has earned the right to – most likely – choose the group.

Where will Ferrari be?

Another complete mystery. There hasn’t been much noise from Maranello about their development for next year, which, as has been widely accepted, started as early as 2025 when they stopped working on this year’s uncompetitive challenger.

Again, the early months will give us a good indication of what is to come in the future Lewis HamiltonIf Ferrari is on pace, it could lead to somewhat of a resurgence if it can challenge for that record-breaking eighth championship,

If not, his fate is somewhere near wretched like this yearDespite a contract with an option until the end of 2027, retirement could be in the near future. Ferrari will also be keeping a close eye on Ollie Bearman’s progress at Haas, as the next Cab up the ranks.

two new teams

The popularity and good health of F1 is such that manufacturers are more keen than ever to enter the sport and, in 2026, we have two iconic brands joining the paddock.

German giant Audi has taken over the Sauber team and will directly produce its own engines. They have ex-Red Bull guru Jonathan Wheatley and ex-Ferrari executive Mattia Binotto leading their operation, as well as an interesting driver pairing of Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriele Bortoletto.

And for the first time in 10 years, we will have 11 teams on the grid and General Motors-owned American brand Cadillac will join the grid. They have chosen an experienced driver duo in Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas, who will be well placed to get the most out of their first car.

With both likely to start at the back, their journeys will be fascinating in the years to come.

Another British driver

Red Bull junior Arvid Lindblad has become the fifth British driver on the grid, with the 18-year-old taking up the seat alongside Liam Lawson at Racing Bulls next year.

It’s an opportunity of a lifetime for the highly-rated Lindblad, who holds the record as the youngest race-winner in F3 and F2, but he will have to adapt quickly to the chop-and-change dynamic within Red Bull’s two teams.

Lindblad joins Hamilton, Norris, Russell and Bearman as the Britons on the grid.

Madrid joins the street-circuit party

Madrid joins the F1 calendar in September with a street circuit in the city centre. However, there is growing speculation that the track may not be ready in time, paving the way for a last-minute reprieve for Imola, which was left off last year’s calendar. watch this space.

The schedule is otherwise unchanged in terms of venues, but Monaco (now June) swaps months with Canada (now May) to make the calendar more regional. There are two races in Spain, with Barcelona potentially hosting its final race as its contract expires next year.

And quite excitingly for British fans, Silverstone plays host to one of six sprint races this year, with Canada, Singapore and Zandvoort being the other new sprint locations. The Dutch GP – attracting thousands of Verstappen fans – will also host its final edition in August.