F1 2026 thread

Next year's calendar takes shape

Meanwhile, F1 is nearing the finalisation of its 2026 calendar, which will once again kick off in Melbourne in early March, as has been known for some time. As was the case this year, the Middle Eastern leg of Bahrain and Saudi Arabia will be moved back due to the Islamic holiday of Ramadan, shifting those races to April slots behind China and Japan once more.
One of the few expected changes over the first half of the season is Imola's disappearance and Canada's move from its current mid-June date to the second half of May. That will logistically make it easier to link up with Miami, although it is understood Miami and Canada will not actually be run back-to-back. To create room for Montreal, Monaco moves to early June from its traditional end-of-May date.

The second half of the season isn't expected to see major changes other than the addition of Imola's replacement of Madrid at the end of September, with construction work currently under way to get the so-called Madring near the Barajas airport completed in time.

Meanwhile, Thailand remains the most realistic mid-term option to join the calendar in 2028 or beyond, with the local government and Red Bull Thailand working on a proposed semi-permanent circuit on the outskirts of Bangkok. The ball is in the government's court to put forward a compelling proposal, after its prime minister met with F1 chief Stefano Domenicali in April.

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/as-barcelona-fights-for-its-f1-race-how-is-the-2026-calendar-shaping-up/10729477/

 

Oh joy warehouse filled 'street' track in Madrid lol.

Circus instead of Circuits.

 

Pulled from BBC F1 Comments:

The race is in one of the ugliest parts of town. Looping around the 1980s exhibition centre (IFEMA), its carparks and wide, otherwise empty suburbs around it. Apart from tourism throughout race week, there is no gain for the city via legacy infrastructure and investment. It will be one of the least photogenic races on the calendar. As a Madrid resident, it is a difficult thing to support.

 

Good - less Hollywood more racing hopefully. How about more testing etc. Help competition and better racing for a better fan experience!!

F1 decides against F175 style season launch in 2026
Formula 1 will not return to London's O2 Arena for a 2026 season launch, Autosport can reveal

 

GPblog understands that the 2026 season will get underway with a special five-day event at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, which will later host the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix in June as well.

From 26 January until the 30 January, teams will be able to test during three days, and as a result, they will sit out two. That also leaves room for potential issues with the weather over the winter. This event will be behind closed doors.
Together with the regulation change, the 11th team, Cadillac will join. Moreover, many teams will test with having new engine manufacturers. Audi will then be a factory team, Red Bull will use their in-house power units they build in collaboration with Ford, while Honda are teaming up with Aston Martin.
Also two tests in Bahrain
After the first test have been concluded in Barcelona, there will be two further three-day tests in Bahrain. During the current season, the grid visited the Sakhir International Circuit from 26 until 28 of February.

Next year, the two similar tests will take place on 11-13 February, and then on 18-20 February, and fans can attend these tests.
The season-opening round will then follow on 6-8 March in Australia.

 

The challenges Pirelli faces developing all-new 2026 F1 tyres
F1’s overhaul in 2026 will hit almost every corner of the series, including the tyres it races with. Testing is well under way on the new rubber, but why is it proving to be so complex for Pirelli?

“I'm satisfied with the development so far, but of course, there are a lot of question marks,” Mario Isola, head of Pirelli Motorsport, told Motorsport.com.
“First of all, that's related to the car. We are using mule cars. Teams are doing a good job in trying to give us a car that is as representative as possible, but they are still current cars.

“It means they are cars with a different aero package and a different level of downforce as well. Actually, we estimate that the downforce they are generating is higher compared to what we'll have next year.

“This means that it's a bit difficult for us to have a range of compounds that is perfectly centred across the performance of the car.
“If the car is stressing the tyres more or less compared to what you expect, then of course there's a risk to go too aggressive or too conservative with the tyres, because you don't have a clear idea on what you will find in 2026.”

Still, Isola sees reason for optimism based on past experience: “In 2021, when we were developing the 18-inch tyre, and it was working quite well in 2022.
“During the first year with the new cars, we didn't find any major changes that were needed on the tyres.”
“Obviously, fine-tunings are always necessary, so I'm still expecting a tyre in 2027 that is different from the one in 2026,” added Isola, expecting there to be a better understanding of the new regulations once they are in effect for a year.

A calculated guess for 2026?
Until then, Pirelli must to some extent make a calculated guess based on various parameters and sources of information that it can look it. The mule cars are one of them, but can’t be trusted as an absolute benchmark.

“We cannot just rely on our tests with the mule cars,” added Isola. “We need to cross all the information that is coming from the track with simulations from the teams, what their simulators say about 2026, our virtual model and a thermomechanical model of the tyres.

“So, it's quite a lot of work together with our modelling department, R&D, the testing department, material department and many more elements.

“We’ve also found differences between the mule cars, each team is preparing a mule car in a different way.”

To simulate the reduced downforce levels of 2026, teams run significantly less wing than they normally would on a given track - but that’s not the only adjustment for the tests.

“No, it’s not just about the wings,” said Isola, “because they have to change the ride height as well, given the new tyres are lower in diameter.

“So, they made some modifications to the cars that are allowed by the FIA in order to give us the most representative mule cars.

“But as I said, we still found differences across the teams. It's useful for us to test with all the teams to get a complete picture and also to get a good idea about the differences across all mule cars.

“But to return to your initial question: overall, we’re quite happy with the progress, and we believe that we can have a well-balanced product in 2026.”

Testing of the 2026 tyres will continue on 5-6 August at the Hungaroring, followed by additional sessions in Monza, Mugello, and Mexico City.

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/challenges-Pirelli-faces-2026-Formula-1/10742910/

 

Lance will break all records next year!!!

Aston Martin team boss Andy Cowell has confirmed encouraging progress on the integration of Honda’s 2026 F1 power unit with the team’s next-generation chassis, describing the development process as both seamless and collaborative.

 

Turkey preparing bid to rejoin F1 calendar
Turkey is prepared to step in as soon as the 2026 F1 season in case of any cancellations, as part of a long-term bid for F1 to return to Istanbul Park

 

The Monaco Grand Prix's mandatory two-pitstop rule will be used again in 2026, despite the controversy triggered by its introduction at this year's race.

In a bid to add excitement to the event around the streets of Monte Carlo, F1 added a race-specific demand that forced drivers to stop twice for tyres.

 

F1 2026 cars must be made "easier" for drivers – Vowles
Williams boss James Vowles says F1 still has time to ease driver concerns over the 2026 regulations
Filip Cleeren
Published: Aug 11, 2025, 2:45 PM -- https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/f1-2026-cars-must-be-made-easier-for-drivers-vowles/10749963/

Williams team principal James Vowles says Formula 1 teams still have work to do to ease driver complaints over the increased workload with the all-new 2026 cars, but plays down initial panic over the seismic changes.

Next year F1 is changing both chassis and power units in what is seen as one of the biggest regulation changes in history, placing a much bigger emphasis on electric energy, close to a 50-50 split with the internal combustion engine.

That move means energy management over a lap will be a much bigger factor. Driver-in-the-loop simulators have so far shown that the 2026 models not only are very different to drive than the current generation, but also place a much higher mental workload on the drivers.

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc was one driver voicing his displeasure over how the new regulations forced him to drive on the team's simulator, although it is believed most drivers who have sampled the new machinery in the virtual world have been on early models that aren't fully representative of what will actually hit the track at the end of January for winter testing.

Williams driver Alex Albon was more measured in his response after trialling what is believed to be a more developed simulator concept, but he too flagged the huge workload involved in managing the new car's energy states.

"It's really early days at the moment, but just look at Formula E as a more extreme version as to where we're going to go to. You can see how the drivers manipulate the race and qualifying and how they deploy and all these kinds of things to gain performance," he said.

"It's not going to be that extreme, but drivers who have the brain capacity to understand and facilitate all these demands will go well. There's going to be so much more attention on simulator work over the winter, and making sure that we understand how it all works and trying different driving styles."

Albon's team principal Vowles said drivers shouldn't panic after their first, very early impressions of the new regulations, although he did concede there is work to do to ease driver workload.

"The first time any of our simulator drivers drove the 2026 regulations it was difficult, because it is a complete change on certain aspects of how you drive," he explained. "Then the second time it became more normal – still complaints. And by the fourth time, there really wasn't much in terms of discussion over it. It just became the norm.

"So, what I ask everyone to do is be careful. Ask the driver how many times they've driven the simulator as you adjudicate their answer. I guarantee you it's once. It's probably the first initial response. And those that have driven it four or five are like: 'I understand it now.'

"Is it refined enough? We've got a lot more work to do to refine it, and we've got to make it easier on the driver, because I think the workload is actually very, very difficult for the driver at the moment. But we have another six months to run before we're there, so I'm confident we can fix that."

Vowles doesn't share concerns over a potential lack of overtaking due to the introduction of active aerodynamics on the front and rear wings, as well as the current DRS device being replaced by a power-unit-based overtaking aid called "manual override mode".

"I think you're going to get much bigger differences in straightline speed on certain straights because of how much you can play with the energy and various modes," he added. "And so, I think at some point the overtaking could actually be accentuated, not hindered as a result of it.

"The racing concept actually means that if you have a faster car, I think there are more tools at your disposal as a driver to be able to use than this year, even including DRS in there."

 

What fans voted for this? Fans of fake and idiot wrestling etc etc??

Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali plans to discuss with teams and drivers the idea of more sprint races in the future – as well as a change of format to incorporate a reversed-grid element.

While F1 looks set to stick with the current six sprint events for the start of the new rules era in 2026, thoughts are already moving towards expanding the schedule longer term.

And, amid what appears to be an increasing openness from both those within the paddock as well as fans to try out some more radical ideas, the idea of reversed grids looks set to also be put forward as something to be seriously considered.