Among the innovations brought with the changes to the 2026 Sports Regulations there is one that concerns the Parc Fermé, which in fact freezes the setups of the single-seaters between qualifying and the race. For several years, in fact, teams have no longer been able to intervene and modify the setup during the official weekend sessions: once one has taken part in qualifying it is no longer possible to modify anything on the car, under penalty of starting from the pit lane.
This even in case of rain: many times we have seen teams and drivers blindly abandon themselves to the weather forecast hoping to bet on the winning setup. Among the most aggressive in recent years in this sense we cannot fail to mention Max Verstappen, recalling his extreme choices for example at Silverstone and Spa.
Well, after years of discussions – inevitably also crossing into the field of security – the Federation has decided to modify the article of the sporting code which regulates the management of Parc Fermé in the event of variable weather conditions.
How the regulation changes
Until now the only intervention done on the theme of Parc Fermé was depending on the Sprint: with the introduction of the current format – Sprint Qualifying on Friday afternoon, Sprint on Saturday morning before the qualifying of the long race – it is actually possible to change the structure between Sprint and “long” qualifying, therefore also taking advantage of the data and information collected in the short sessions.
However, in 2026 the condition of “Rain Hazard”, or “Risk of Rain”: if the official meteorological service of the Federation (Weather Franceed.) indicates a probability of precipitation exceeding 40% at any time during the Sprint or race, the Race Director may declare a “Risk of Rain” up to two hours before the start of qualifying (or Sprint Qualifying).
Once the “Rain Hazard” has been declared, the teams will be able to adapt your settings to wet conditions once the seals have been removed (i.e. five hours before the race or Sprint) without being penalized and therefore starting from the pit lane.
However, there is a mysterious condition: the exact list of components that can be modified is found in a private document (renamed FIA-F1-DOC-080) reserved only for teams…
