Car 2026: how drivers’ driving style changes

The biggest technical revolution in the history of Formula 1 will inevitably also have an impact on driving. The drivers will be more busy in the cockpit, called upon to manually operate the active aerodynamics on each straight, but they will also have to adapt the way they approach the curves. The 2026 cars, in fact, have completely different aerodynamic characteristics, as well as new power units that influence both braking and acceleration response. Be careful with the gas. Turbo lag, the delay in engine response at low speeds, returns in 2026. The reason is the removal of the MGU-H, the second electric motor which until 2025 controlled the rotation speed of the turbo, counteracting the slowdown at low rpm caused by the reduction in the flow of exhaust gases. In developing the new power units, engine engineers wondered about the best strategy to react to this change, divided between the choice of a smaller and more reactive turbo or a larger one that favors maximum power, but to the detriment of recovery when exiting corners. Another option is to exploit the large torque of the MGU-K, now the only electric motor, to make up for the lack of thermal power at low speeds. However, this would mean spending energy in unprofitable situations, when it would instead be better to invest it in power limited areas, where power is the most important factor. Drivers will have to adapt to all of this, with opposing scenarios depending on the corners, battery charge and racing scenarios. On the one hand, it will be important to play with the accelerator to keep the engine rpm as high as possible and counteract turbo lag, encouraging you to draw less sharp trajectories. On the other hand, the driver will have to be delicate on the throttle and also ready to control the enormous electric torque of the MGU-K, already available at low revs, especially in qualifying, when energy management will be at a minimum. Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images Energy to manage The teams repeatedly repeat that battery management will be a central theme of the new regulations. For this reason too, the development will focus heavily on the control unit software, optimizing the phases of electrical power release and charging during braking. However, the margins for maneuver are limited by the technical regulation, which prevents cutting more than a certain amount of power from the combustion engine when traveling with the accelerator at full throttle. Part of the work will therefore fall on the pilot, who will in fact have to resort to a more invasive lift and coast than the one used so far. For this reason, preparation for the simulator will be even more important, having to optimize the driving style on each circuit also based on energy management. With the 2026 cars, the battery is recharged through the MGU-K, which exerts a real braking action when braking, three times more powerful than the old power units. Its contribution is such that in some corners it will be possible to brake using only the front disc brakes and the MGU-K, without resorting to the hydraulic system at the rear axle. However, this will lead to a drastic cooling of the rear discs, which the riders will have to take into account at the next hard braking, when the brakes may not be up to temperature. Photo by Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images More agility at slow speeds In addition to the innovations related to the power units, the 2026 single-seaters will also be profoundly different from a chassis point of view. Compared to the previous ones, the new machines will release more load at low speeds and less at high distances, inevitably influencing the driving style. Furthermore, without the ground effect, there will be no need to make the cars work low and rigid, guaranteeing greater agility at slow speeds, but above all better comfort in the passenger compartment. Finally, the riders will also have to deal with the new tyres, which will all have to be felt, understood and interpreted. 2026 promises to be a championship with a high technical content, in which, however, those who drive will also have their work cut out for them.